Michael Fallon, the Secretary of State for Defence of UK, stated that the offensive to take Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, from ISIS will start in a few weeks.

The announcement of the Mosul operation came after Fallon's three-day visit to Iraq and Southern Kurdistan earlier this week.

Speaking in London after his return, UK Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon said the following: "Although Mosul is a large and complex city, it will fall and will fall soon. I expect the operation for its encirclement to begin in the next few weeks. Iraqi forces are moving into a tactical assembly area in preparation for the assault.”

Most recently, peshmerga forces have liberated the town of Shargat, 80 km south of Mosul, from ISIS groups on Thursday. The town is located on the Iraqi army's line of supply.

With the Iraqi government having already pledged to liberate Mosul by the end of this year, US military officials had hinted that the operation to take Mosul would begin in October.