LATEST VIDEO: 30,000 Iraqi Soldiers Prepare to Liberate ISIS Last Bastion Mosul

The fight to reclaim the city is expected to begin next week in what will be the biggest Iraqi military operation since the US-led invasion in 2003.

A successful conquest would destroy ISIS last bastion of power in the country, and represent a serious blow to its legitimacy.

Some 30,000 Iraqi troops are expected to take part in the battle, with support from US special forces and western coalition warplanes, Daily Mail reported.