It has been a week since the offensive to recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul began, and coalition forces are advancing towards ISIL's last stronghold in the country.

Soldiers of the Iraqi army enter Bartella village after they defeated the Islamic State militants in Bartella village, about 20 km east of Mosul, northern Iraq on Oct. 22, 2016. The Iraqi army and Kurdish forces began military operations to retake Mosul on Oct. 17, with support of the international community, and have retaken more than 20 villages since then. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday that Iraqi forces were moving faster than expected towards Islamic State's stronghold of Mosul. (Xinhua/Yaser Jawad)

On Sunday, Kurdish fighters claimed they liberated the town of Bashiqa northeast of Mosul. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said their artillery is supporting Peshmerga forces in the area.

But Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi rejected Turkey's proposal to play a part in the Mosul campaign. He told visiting US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter that his country's forces alone would oust the militants from the northern city.

Meanwhile the United Nations refugee agency UNHRC, is actively preparing for an outflow of civilians from Mosul. High Commissioner Filippo Grandi said the big challenge will be finding sites to accommodate a huge exodus of refugees.