Inside RAF base leading offensive to help Iraq take back Mosul
Video report by ITV News Middle East correspondent Geraint Vincent
An RAF base on the Greek island of Cyprus will be the key mounting base for an offensive in Mosul.
Fighter jets in RAF Akrotiri are to be used in Britain's efforts to push so-called Islamic State (IS) out of its Iraqi stronghold, the "final battle" according to defence secretary Michael Fallon.
The operation intends to encircle the city to take back control of the remaining 10% controlled by the jihadists.
Fighter-bomber aircraft take off from Akrotiri to head for the skies above Iraq and Syria almost every day.
They strike with 500-pound Paveway bombs or laser-guided Brimstone missiles.
Around 200 missions have been flown by the RAF this summer preparing the ground for an attempt from Iraqi forces to liberate Mosul which fell to IS fighters in 2014.
The pilots have been flying the missions for two years and say they can see the progress they are making against the extremists.
Air Commodore Martin Sampson of the RAF said that Britain has worked to shield and protect the Iraqi forces as they move forwards towards Mosul and other areas including Baghdad.
"We've been doing a lot and it's at their pace," he said.
The Iraqi army, who fled from IS in 2014 as they took Mosul, are now confident and capable, he said, adding: "They know that we're with them, every step."
The commanders say the coalition effort against IS in Iraq is the most precise and powerful air force campaign ever fought.
But on the ground, victory is dependent on the will of the government and its soldiers.