Last Sunday (19/2/17) the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) began an operation to liberate the western side of the city of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
This is the latest phase in an operation that began on October 17th 2016 (17/10/16) that succeeded in liberating the eastern side of the city on January 25th 2017 (15/1/17). It is supported by the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) militia, the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga and the US-led coalition - Combined Joint Task Force: Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTFOIR).
On Friday (24/2/17) the ISF completed a complex manoeuvre to simultaneously liberate both the Ghazlani military base and Mosul international airport which sit side-by-side at the southern tip of western Mosul. The ISF then immediately proceeded to move to liberate the Hay al-Tayaran neighbourhood which sits directly north of the airport. This marked the start of the grinding process of liberating the city room-by-room, floor-by-floor, house-by-house, street-by-street, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood.
Although things are progressing more quickly than I'd expected the start of this slow process means that there are unlikely to be enough developments for me to provide daily updates. Instead I'm expecting to give an update every two to three days. However things will be dictated entirely by events on the ground.
I do though have to take a moment to write about the death on Saturday (25/2/17) of Shifa Gardi. A journalist for the Iraqi Kurdish broadcaster Rudaw Ms Gardi was killed by an ISIL Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while investigating reports of a mass grave close to the village of Al Athba. 20km (12 miles) south of Mosul.
On Friday (24/2/17) 63 people - mostly civilians - were killed in an ISIL suicide bombing close to the Syrian town of al-Bab. Later that day 16 Jordanian border guards were killed in an ISIL attack on their post. Earlier on Saturday (25/2/17) 42 people were killed in multiple Al Qaeda suicide bombings in the Syrian city of Homs.
Amid all this slaughter it seems almost strange for me to talk at length about the death of just one person. However it is hard to overstate just how crucial Rudaw have been to this war.
Wherever you are in the World or whatever news channel you're watching the chances are you've seen footage of the war that has a little; "R" superimposed in the top left corner of the screen. That is the logo of Rudaw and it is often they who are the only ones brave enough to go and shoot the footage. Although I like to think I add at least some value the majority of what I do here is really just reading out loud what Rudaw have written.
Amongst people who work in the news business the 1991 Gulf War is widely regarded as the first television war. Advances in technology meant that for the first time journalists embedded with soldiers on the frontlines could edit together their reports and beam them back to the studio by satellite to be included on the evening news. They could even set up a satellite link to be interviewed live from the studio whilst standing on the frontlines.
In this war Rudaw have taken things a step further. They have been livestreaming the operation to liberate Mosul both on the Internet and on their satellite channel. Amid the chaos I don't really know how to process this. However amongst journalists and broadcasters it is clearly something that is going to be talked about for years to come.
On one level it is a remarkable resource for me. I can simply log on to the livestream and see with my own eyes how the battle is going. However I find it worrying that ISIL can also log on to the livestream and see exactly what the ISF are up to.
Plus it represents an absolutely huge ethical quandary for broadcasters and those who regulate them. Watching live uncensored footage of battle makes it quite clear how extremely violent and frankly shit war really is. Part of Rudaw's coverage of Ms Gardi's death was a very poignant photograph of her producer leaning over a bodybag containing her corpse that had been hastily slung across the back seats of a 4x4.
Throughout the battle for Mosul Shifa Gardi had been reporting from the field during the day before returning to the studio in Erbil to anchor a nightly show - Focus Mosul - updating the country on the days developments. Within Arab and Kurdish society a woman anchoring a primetime news program is still a major thing. Let alone one that saw her broadcasting live from battle alongside male soldiers.
Shifa Gardi is so well known amongst Iraqis and others for her Mosul coverage hearing that she'd been killed is like hearing that Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Huw Edwards, Kay Burley or any other nationally known news anchor had suddenly been killed.
Just on Monday (20/2/17) Shifa Gardi provided us all with one of those marvellously surreal moments that only happen in war.
Embedded with the Iraqi Federal Police as they liberated Albu Saif Shifa Gardi noticed someones pet bunny rabbit that had become separated from its owners amid the fighting. Taking pity on this starving and injured animal she scooped it up and took it back to her office to give it to an animal shelter.
War correspondents are considered a strange and unique breed. However even amongst them strolling back into your office with a bunny rabbit tucked into your flak jacket is considered hilariously bizarre.
12:50 on 26/2/17 (UK date).
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