A new offensive to recapture ISIL-held territory surrounding the city of Mosul has been launched by Kurdish forces.

CCTV’s Malini Wilkes reports.

Kurdish Peshmerga troops advanced on the ground after they heavily shelled ISIL positions, supported by airstrikes from the U.S.- backed coalition.

Their aim is to capture villages outside of Mosul, giving them a base to operate when the final campaign to retake the city begins.

ISIL has controlled Mosul since it first swept into Iraq in 2014.

It’s Iraq’s second largest city and the militant group’s largest urban stronghold in the country.

As the campaign to recapture Mosul takes shape aid groups are warning that more than one million people could be displaced by the fighting.

Tens of thousands have already fled the city– some with harrowing tales of life under ISIL.

Iraqi leaders have repeatedly promised that Mosul will be retaken this year.

But questions remain about what might happen after the city is liberated. But, for now, all sides are united in a common purpose — victory over ISIL in the battle for Mosul.