The importance of this area in the Ninevah countryside in no way compares to the city of Mosul, the place where IS declared the establishment of a caliphate in late June 2014. Iraqi forces are likely to experience a far tougher battle for Mosul, Iraq's second-largest urban area, with more than 1 million residents remaining there, and IS' prized possession in the country. The jihadist organization is said to already be preparing for a final showdown with Iraqi forces, planting bombs and digging trenches around the city.
Another important issue is gaining the trust of the local population in Ninevah. When IS and a number of other Sunni insurgent groups took control of Mosul in June 2014, they were largely welcomed by residents who were fed up with the daily discrimination they were experiencing at the hands of the Iraqi security forces under then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government.
Aware of the past tensions between the province's civilian population and the security forces, Iraqi officials are trying hard to win the hearts and minds of Mosul's population ahead of an eventual charge toward the Sunni Arab-dominated city.
“Your army has come to liberate you from the filth … of IS, and you will only see respect, appreciation and good treatment from [the Iraqi army],” Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi told Mosul's residents in a reassuring audio message released July 13. “And do not pay attention to the rumors spread by the hateful and the grudging. … The goal is liberating you and protecting your lives and properties.”
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