Baghdad- A sandstorm lashed two days ago in Mosul and ISIS militants considered it a divine message to boost their morals and blur the vision of Iraqi forces.

However, the storm faded soon and rain washed away the dust and sand.

Governor of Mosul Ahmed al-Jabouri said, “A sandstorm hit Mosul on Tuesday and caused a blurred vision—ISIS fighters announced through speakers that this storm is sent by God… Then it rained, the dust was washed away, the sky was clear and ISIS became a joke.”

As the Iraqi Army started to advance towards the neighborhoods of Mosul, the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration revealed that a new migration wave occurred, which raised concerns over unlimited number of besieged civilians fleeing from the city.

In the same context of collective migration, Minister of Displacement and Migration Jassim Mohammed al-Jaf said in a statement on Wednesday that the “ministry has transported more than 3,000 migrants from Nineveh regions to camps.”

“The total of displaced reached 19,528 since the launching of battles to liberate Nineveh… The ministry teams are distributing humanitarian aid and providing basic needs to the camps,” said Jaf.

“The post ISIS phase is the real test for political leaders in Iraq on which choice they want to support, the construction of the state or the reinforcement of the non-state… Liberating Mosul from ISIS should be a turning point to restructure the state and its powers or else the grudge over deterioration of conditions will increase,” MP Noura al-Salemi told Asharq al-Awsat.

Salemi added that liberating Mosul is a golden chance for Iraqi parties to rebuild the state and community on new political and constitutional bases. “Previous faults can’t be overcome via adopting the same policy,” she stated.