Smoke rises from Islamic state positions after an airstrike by coalition forces in Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. There's no ignoring the fact, however, that the Iraqi army units assembled for the Mosul attack are still very uneven. There are hundreds of U.S. and allied advisers co-ordinating supporting fire and logistics, but such a mix of Iraqi units makes command and control by headquarters difficult. Shia militia, for example, are often backed by Iran; the Sunni units listen closely to Saudi Arabia; while Kurds are deeply suspicious of the central government in Baghdad. Many aid groups fear hundreds of thousands will even risk ISIS reprisals to flee, further swamping overburdened refugee camps.

Source: CBC News October 19, 2016 09:00 UTC