For the third day in a row, Iraqi forces continue their advance towards Mosul as they prepare to storm the city and liberate it from the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), the Ninawa Operations Command said Wednesday (October 19th).

"Iraqi forces have liberated Kani Harami and al-Zawya villages, parts of al-Shura and al-Hamdaniya, and the town of Nemroud, to the south, south-east and north of Mosul," Ninawa operations commander Nejim Edin Karim al-Jubury told Diyaruna.

"ISIL has suffered heavy losses in the battles and is in a state of collapse," he said, adding that Iraqi forces are advancing according to plan.

"We will not rush anything as we want to spare the lives of civilians and our troops," he said.

Also on Wednesday, Iraqi forces prepared to retake the country's largest Christian town from ISIL, a key milestone in their progress towards Mosul, AFP reported.

News of the move to recapture Qaraqosh, about 15 kilometres south-east of Mosul, sparked jubilation among Christians who had fled the town, with many dancing and singing in the city of Erbil.

After clearing towns and villages on the outskirts of Mosul with air support from the international coalition, Iraqi forces are expected to besiege the city before entering it.