A coalition of about 50,000 Iraqi security personnel, Kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia paramilitary forces are involved in the assault on the jihadists’ last major stronghold in the country. A spokesman for the Iraqi forces, Peter Cook, said the campaign, which began on 17 October, may take months, depending on whether “IS stands and fights”. By 1 November, Iraqi and Kurdish forces had reached the eastern outskirts of Mosul, but were said to be facing fierce resistance from the 3,000-5,000 IS fighters believed to be holed up in the city. The recapture of Mosul would be seen as a major boost for the Iraqi government – although IS still controls much of northern and western Iraq – as well as central and eastern Syria.