A Peshmerga convoy drives towards a frontline in Khazer, about 30 kilometers east of Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016.

Iraqi security forces were “ahead of schedule” after the first day of an offensive for the ISIS-held city of Mosul, a Pentagon official said Monday. A US-led coalition has for months been helping train Iraqi forces for the fight for Mosul – the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq – and the military offensive finally got underway early Monday.

“Early indications are that Iraqi forces have met their objectives so far, and that they are ahead of schedule for this first day,” Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said. But he warned it was unknown how long the battle would last. A top US general earlier said it would take several weeks or even longer. “We are in the first day of what we assume will be a difficult campaign that could take some time,” Cook said.

The start of the long-awaited assault has raised deep concerns for hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Iraq’s second-largest city, with aid groups warning of a massive humanitarian crisis. The Iraqi government has dropped thousands of leaflets on Mosul telling residents what to do during the offensive.

“My understanding is that there may be as many as seven million leaflets dropped in the next 48 hours or so to try and educate the population of Mosul as to the safest way to conduct themselves as this fighting plays out,” Cook said. “There is an effort to try and reach out to the people of Mosul to try and make them as aware as possible of what’s to come and the dangers they face.”

Coalition to take stock on Oct 25

Defense ministers from the international coalition fighting ISIS militants in Mosul and elsewhere in Iraq and Syria will meet in Paris on October 25, France said on Monday. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will be among 13 ministers who will assess progress in the battle to drive ISIS from Iraq’s second-biggest city, which Iraqi forces launched on Monday.

“The aim is to take a look at the progress of the Mosul plan,” an aide to French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. The ministers are also expected to stress the importance of the next step in the battle against ISIS – routing the militants from their Syrian stronghold of Raqqa.

The coalition is concerned that ISIS will attempt to move fighters and military equipment from Mosul to Syria as the offensive intensifies. “We must prevent (fighters) based in Mosul from moving easily to Raqqa and we need to ensure that those who are currently able to roam around freely in Syria can be tracked down,” the aide said.

Although the coalition includes around 60 countries, the meeting will only comprise Western nations providing air support. They are: United States, France, Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand.

Kurds pause

Iraq’s Kurdish forces say they are pausing in their advance on Mosul after capturing a handful of villages to the east from ISIS as the Iraqi army presses ahead with the next stage of the operation. Col. Khathar Sheikhan of the Kurdish forces, known as Peshmerga, says his troops achieved their objectives and “are just holding our positions” in the Khazer area on Tuesday.

Iraqi forces hold a position on October 17, 2016 in the area of al-Shurah, some 45 kms south of Mosul, as they advance towards the city to retake it from ISIS militants.

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