US: Battle to retake Mosul to begin next month

Fighting to restore control of Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, will begin next month, CNN Arabic reported US officials at the Department of Defence saying.

Additional US Special Forces will be sent to assist Iraqi units moving in to take control of the city.

The advisers will be closer to the front lines, exposing them to greater dangers, officials said.

Hundreds of US military personnel are already located in the Iraqi base of Qayyarah, to the south of Mosul, to provide help to Iraqi units.

US fighter jets could start striking targets in the city in the coming days, officials said, while the start of the attacks on the city depend on the readiness of the Iraqi troops.

“What remains is the biggest piece of the city of Mosul, which Daesh is trying to establish a Caliphate in, this is the next battle front.”

US Department of Defence is optimistic about its most difficult test in Iraq to date.

“Iraqi forces, with the support of the coalition, has restored control of more than half of the area which was under Daesh control.”

“We are gathering intelligence information regarding the battlefield, surveillance and reconnaissance, especially in Mosul and Raqqa [Syria] to get the timing right.”