Minister Ellwood said:
The start of Iraqi operations to retake the city of Mosul marks another step forward towards clearing Daesh from Iraq. After 2 years of brutal rule, the people of Mosul can start to have hope for a better future.
This will be the greatest challenge that Iraq’s Security Forces have yet encountered – they are up to that challenge. The UK, as part of the Global Coalition, is committed to continuing to provide the government of Iraq with military, humanitarian and stabilisation support.