A number of Daesh leaders have sold their properties and fled Mosul with their families heading for Syria ahead of the Iraqi government’s recapture of the city, the country’s defence minister said.
Al-Arabiya Al-Hadath TV station quoted Khaled Al-Obeidi saying yesterday that the biggest challenge facing the Iraqi forces in their fight to regain control of Mosul battle is protecting civilians, adding that military preparations have been completed.
He revealed that there is a plan to restructure the Iraqi army after it recaptures the areas under Daesh control. This would mean reducing the size of the army significantly and raising improving training. Some 100,000 soldiers, who fled when Daesh launched its attack on Mosul in 2014, have been sacked, he added.
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