Mosul citizens living in Erbil, displaced from their homes, are eagerly watching the military offensive launched this morning to free their city from ISIS rule.
"The people of Mosul are watching the assault on the city, the IDPs here in Erbil and elsewhere are anxiously waiting for the end of the war so they can go back to their hometowns. We want the operation to speed up. However, having said that, we want the liberation of the city not its destruction," Sheikh Mahmud Khalaf, leader of the Abu-Hamdan tribe in Mosul, told Rudaw.
Many are hoping they will soon regain contact with relatives still living in the city and are placing their trust in the Peshmerga.
A Christian IDP Sabah Shaba told Rudaw, "We are behind the Peshmerga forces. We, the people of the Nineveh plains, are willing to join them in their operation to liberate Mosul."
