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As Iraqi forces prepare for their big push towards Mosul, the Islamic State group (IS, formerly known as ISIS), which has been in control of Iraq's second largest city since June, is preparing to fight.

An unnamed Iraqi official has revealed that IS fighters have booby-trapped five oil fields in the north and two oil fields in the west of a huge swathe of territory controlled by group in Syria and Iraq.

The reports have been seen as putting pressure on the US-led coalition forces who are bombing IS group positions, as well as Baghdad, which is fighting the group on the ground. Blowing up these installations would prove to be an environmental and economic disaster for Iraq.

A published in November said that the Islamic State group had enough small arms, ammunition and vehicles to continue its war in Syria and Iraq for the next two years.

Meanwhile, Iraqi forces have been undergoing military training with US forces, following their routing this summer when IS forces conquered areas in the north and west of Iraq. Kurdish Peshmerga also appear to have been induced into attacking Mosul, the skilled troops already proving their worth on the battlefield against IS fighters.

A military source told al-Araby al-Jadeed that over the past two weeks, IS militants have planted hundreds of locally made explosives at oil wells under its control. The group has also reportedly dismantled a small oil refinery in Salah al-Din governorate and moved it to Deir al-Zor in Syria, before booby-trapping nearby oil wells. 

The UN says that the IS group have enough small arms, ammunition and vehicles to continue its war in Syria and Iraq for the next two years.

"The group planted hundreds of explosive charges in the fields of al-Ujail, Ain Zalah, Batma, Hamrin, and Sharqat in Salah al-Din and Nineveh governorates," he said.

"Explosive charges were also planted at Akkaz gas field in the west of Al-Anbar. The explosives are all connected to remote-control devices with the same detonation ready for zero-hour."

The act of sabotage would be the IS group's trump card if it loses the forthcoming battle for Mosul.

"We believe that its leaders are serious about blowing them up at any time," said the source. "There are persistent efforts to discuss a plan that includes the options that could be used to deal with this eventuality."

Bombs have also been hidden in cities and roads in IS-controlled areas, he said. "There are enough explosives to destroy two cities the size of Baghdad," the source said.

Bomb defusing experts have been called in, but the primitive nature of the devices are proving to be a headache for the military preparing for the attack on Mosul.

"This complicates the task of US advisers working on defusing them," said the military source.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.