Troops close in on last ISIS-held city
US, Iraqi troops close in on last ISIS-held city
Story highlights
- 'Hundreds' of US troops are stationed at a base 40 miles of Mosul
- The battle for Iraq's second-largest city could start as soon as October
Washington (CNN)Hundreds
of US troops have arrived at an air base 40 miles south of Mosul to
support Iraq's efforts to liberate that city from ISIS, a US defense
official told CNN.
Qayyarah air base was recaptured from ISIS by Iraqi soldiers backed by US airstrikes in July
and the American forces operating there will mainly provide logistics,
supplies and support for the Iraqi offensive on Mosul. The move brings
US personnel closer to the battle and ISIS' defensive lines.
Asked
if US forces advising the Mosul operation faced increased risk,
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook told reporters Thursday that "the
secretary (of defense) has made clear that our forces in Iraq are in
harm's way. Everyone who is serving there is in a dangerous situation."
The
air base is also expected to be rebuilt to allow US and coalition
aircraft to operate there, since its proximity to Mosul makes it
tactically important.
"When the
(Iraqi Security Force) is ready to move on in their operations to get
after Mosul, we'll be prepared to support that and the airfield will be
ready," Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian told reporters Tuesday at the
Pentagon.
"This
is a partnered effort. This is something we're working from both the
land component perspective with the Iraqis and clearly ensuring that, as
we begin to put some of our airplanes in there in the future, that it's
got the capabilities that we need," Harrigan added, describing efforts
to prepare Qayyarah.
The assault on the last major Iraqi city held by ISIS could begin as early as October, according to several US officials.
The next stage of the effort will involve attempts to seize towns and villages on the southern outskirts of Mosul.
Iraqi
security forces air dropped thousands of leaflets south of the city
over the weekend warning citizens in anticipation of a new offensive.
"Protect
yourself, don't be human shields for the enemy, leave the town
immediately," a leaflet shown by the Iraqi military to CNN said.
The
coalition is stepping up airstrikes along key infiltration routes into
Mosul in hopes of keeping the city from being reinforced further by
ISIS, a US defense official added.
The
fight for Mosul is expected to be a difficult one with defense
officials and intelligence analysts saying that ISIS has dug-in since it
first seized the city back in 2014.
There are 3,000 to 4,500 ISIS fighters in Mosul, according to Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. John Dorrian.
"There
is still a tough fight ahead against an adaptive enemy that will try to
challenge us as we hone in on Mosul," Harrigian, the commander of US
air forces in the Middle East, said.
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