WHITFIELD: Iraq's president says the Iraqi army is mounting a major offensive to push ISIS fighters out of western Mosul. It's the biggest offense since the campaign to rid the city of the terror group began last fall. The retaking o-f Mosul's western side has been one of the toughest challenges for the Iraqis because all five bridges connecting the eastern and western parts of the city had been heavily damaged. CNN's Ben Wedeman is following the developments.</s>BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest and perhaps decisive phase to drive ISIS out of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city began at the crack of dawn. Before Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the beginning of operations on Iraqi television, Iraqi and Coalition aircraft and artillery pummeled ISIS targets in the western part of the city. And overnight Iraqi airplanes dropped millions of leaflets on Mosul calling on ISIS fighters put down their weapons and surrender and warning civilians to stay in their homes and cooperate with Iraqi forces. Since then, those forces have moved from the south and the southwest towards the center of the city -- their first objective, to take Mosul airport. Resistance is expected to be fierce. ISIS has dug a complicated network of tunnels in the city and is already using armed drones and is expected they will as usual, use many suicide car bombers. Perhaps the most difficult or challenging part of this operation for government forces will be to minimize civilian casualties. There are as many as 650 to 800,000 civilians living in the western part of the city and ISIS has never hesitated to use civilians as human shields. The humanitarian situation in the west is dire. Food, medicine, fuel and drinking water, safe drinking water are in seriously short supply and humanitarian groups expect hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee the city as the fighting intensifies. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Istanbul.</s>WHITFIELD: Up next, ahead of tonight's NBA All-Star Game a former All-Star, Grant Hill, talks about everything from the game to politics. My conversation with the basketball legend and his co-host of "Inside Stuff" right after this.
Iraq Launching Offensive on Western Mosul