A large-scale military campaign against the Islamic State (Daesh or IS) is planned for Mosul. The terrorist militia should be expelled from their last stronghold in the Iraq. The inhabitants of the city are now faced with the choice: If they stay, they expect air raids and a possible siege. If they try to flee, they would get threatened punishment by the fighters of the IS.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians are preparing for the offensive, which is being planned. There are still discussions about the execution at the international level: Iraq rejects the participation of Turkish troops. There is a consensus that the action against the Islamic State will get carried out in Mosul.
As the British "Guardian" reports, the IS keeps the residents from leaving the city by checkpoints along the exit roads. The houses of those who had already escaped were blown up, as punishment and deterrence for others.
The escape itself is life-threatening and often means a journey through minefields. Those who remain must be prepared for air raids and street fightings. Also a possible siege of the big city threatens, and last but not least the danger, as a human protective shield to be abused, as the IS has already done in other conflicts.
The Muslim cowards from the Daesh need some civilians, women, children, etc. where they can hide themselves behind. Such people don't have any honor and they will end up in hell for getting tortured from the Satan instead of playing with 72 virgins. What else can you expect from the "peaceful" Islam? In the Quran is murdering, men slaughtering, rapes, slavery, etc. of unbelievers allowed. But in this case the Muslim cowards are using innocent Muslim civilians, women and children as protective shield.
Iraqi soldiers and Peshmerga prepare themselves before Mosul. IS fighters should have retreated already in residential areas. "The children are crazy because the US jets bombed IS positions in residential areas. The sound is terrible, the windows are broken, the whole house is shaking and people are hysterical", the "Guardian" quotes a man from Mosul, who recently escaped with his family. In Mosul itself, people prepare themselves by building makeshift shelters and collecting food supplies.
While the Iraqi Mosul is still waiting for the big offensive, Syrian rebels with Turkish support have already launched an operation against the Daesh in Dabik. The Islamists there were preparing for an "apocalyptic battle" on Saturday, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. More than 1,200 IS fighters are also on the road from other fronts to "defense Dabiks". Dabik, controlled by the Terrorist militia, lies north of Aleppo near the Turkish border. According to reports, Turkey is involved with tanks and fighting planes against the terrorists.
The 3000-inhabitant village is not of strategic, but of high symbolic importance: According to an Islamic tradition, an important battle between the Muslims and their opponents will take place here at the end of time. Not least because of its ideological importance, the IS named its English-language propaganda magazine after the city.
Dabik also plays an important role in Turkish history. Here, the Ottoman Sultan Selim I defeated the Egyptian Mamelucke Sultan, laying the foundations for the conquest of the Arab world.
With the support of Turkey and the USA, the rebels recently took several villages near Dabik.