Mosul, wrested from the Islamic State jihadist group on Sunday, is Iraq’s second city and one of its cultural jewels. The jihadists seized it in a lightning offensive in June 2014 that humiliated Iraq’s security forces, who launched their massive operation to retake it in October last year. Here are some facts about Mosul: The … Read more
Crawl through a labyrinth of narrow tunnels in near total darkness and suddenly they appear: two great winged bulls dating from the Assyrian empire found intact under the ground of Mosul. But as fighting rages to evict the Islamic State (IS) group from the main city in northern Iraq, it will be a race against … Read more
Iraqi government forces launched a major offensive to recapture the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group on October 17, 2016. – October 17: Iraqi forces launch an offensive to drive IS out of Mosul, where the jihadists declared an Islamic “caliphate” in June 2014. IS overran Mosul and swathes of other territory north … Read more