"These forces that are liberating you today, they have one goal in Mosul which is to get rid of Daesh (ISIS) and to secure your dignity. They are there for your sake," he said.
In addition to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, U.S. troops, British and French Special Forces, and a number of Turkish soldiers are supporting the Iraqi army in the battle, which is expected to take between several weeks to several months to complete, the Guardian reports. Many of the Iraqi troops are based in Qarrayah, a town 45 miles south of Mosul which was recaptured in August.
Mosul is the last major stronghold the Islamic State has in Iraq. They have been steadily retreating since the end of last year in battles against Iraqi and Peshmerga forces, as well as airstrikes from the U.S-led coalition.
For several days Mosul has been surrounded by some 30,000 ground troops who were prepping for the initial attack.
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As a warning to the roughly 600,000 residents left in Mosul, a city of 2 million before Islamic State's 2014 assault, the Iraqi government Sunday dropped thousands of leaflets throughout the city warning civilians to avoid certain parts of the city, and cautioned them not to listen to rumors spread by the Islamist militants that could cause panic.
The Guardian reports that Islamic State is estimated to have nearly 6,000 fighters ready to defend Mosul.
Rueters News reports that the Mosul offensive is the one of Iraq's largest military operations since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion overthrowing Saddam Hussein. Should the battle for Mosul be successful, Islamic State's last main stronghold will be Raqqa in Syria.
However, given the number of civilians left in Mosul and the ease with which Islamic State militants commit human atrocities, several organizations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and the U.N., have said they are bracing for a severe humanitarian crisis in which up to 1 million people could be left homeless, displaced, or used as human shields.
According to Rueters, there are already more than 3 million people who have displaced inside Iraq due to conflicts with the Islamic State.
In his comments to CNA, Fr. Momika said while the people are hopeful that the battle will be successful, they know that their homes and cities will not be in the same state when the fled two years ago, and are prepared to start again from zero.
"If all is bombed, as it is now in Qaraqosh, they will have destroyed everything," he said, "They will have destroyed our homes, the churches, schools, pharmacies, hospitals."
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With nothing left, the priest said they will need many things, including money, to rebuild, and that "our youth, they will build and do everything."
"Please pray for us," he asked, explaining that there are still Christians in Iraq who want to stay.
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.