A glorious chapter in Iraq’s military history doesn’t have to lead to oppression.
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Don’t postpone the battle but do stay engaged for long enough to stabilise Mosul.
![Members of the Badr Organisation undergo training before the upcoming battle to recapture Mosul in Diyala province, Iraq [REUTERS]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/edc95faf2a5d4f4db9113c66ffaeca65_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
As the battle of Mosul looms, it may be wise to place on the back burner the debate on regional formation initiatives.
![Displaced Iraqis, who had fled to Syria to escape the violence in Mosul, arrive in Kirkuk [REUTERS]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/149dc585739742cc8de9e7e5c423c103_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
American and Kurdish ties are close but nothing fundamental has changed, yet.
Missteps by the Iraqi government, political parties and security forces could breathe new life into an ISIL recovery.
![Iraqi soldiers chant slogans against ISIL fighters during a military operation as a part of a military campaign to liberate Mosul [EPA]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/99bbdba65b7d4dd995809cd9dcb793d3_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
The battle is Iraq’s latest attempt to push the Popular Mobilisation Forces and Coalition into a single battlespace.
![Iraqi fighters fire a rocket toward ISIL positions on the outskirts of Fallujah, west of Baghdad [REUTERS]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/c5dc0f7e98bd4f778c4d4fd6e4ad9c7d_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
ISIL bombings could bring a devastating flood of sectarian attacks and militia rule to Baghdad.
![Iraqis walk past stalls at Oraiba market, a day after it was struck by a car bomb attack in the Sadr City area of northern Baghdad [AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20f51f9411fe42aba568e5885cf99fa5_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
The struggle against ISIL has rekindled communal ties between sectarian communities in Iraq.
![Followers of Iraq''s influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr chant slogans calling for governmental reforms during a demonstration in Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq [AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/a00a6adc07b947ad8250ec25a4030dbc_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
What would happen if ISIL lost control of Iraq’s second largest city tomorrow?
![Demonstrators chant pro-ISIL slogans as they carry the group''s flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul [AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/e956dabeaf7e4d998bf70803df1d5af9_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Iraq’s prime minister has broad backing to begin absorbing Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Units into the armed forces.
![Iraqi soldiers participate in a live ammunition training exercise with US-led Coalition trainers south of Baghdad [REUTERS]](/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/bfe0bb3d7b0f4b7b91c08eba4703cf77_18.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
