begin quote from:
Washington
(CNN)Indications are growing that the attack to retake Mosul, Iraq's
second largest city and ISIS' last major stronghold in the country,
could begin as soon as next month. Hundreds of US troops have arrived at
an air …
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)Indications
are growing that the attack to retake Mosul, Iraq's second largest city
and ISIS' last major stronghold in the country, could begin as soon as
next month.
Hundreds of US
troops have arrived at an air base 40 miles south of Mosul to support
Iraq's efforts to liberate that city, a US defense official told CNN.
The
US-led coalition to counter ISIS says it carried out four additional
airstrikes near Mosul and Qayyarah Friday, destroying eight ISIS
fighting positions and damaging a tunnel entrance. Near Qayyarah, two
strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, a weapons
cache and 29 watercraft.
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.
"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. He added that coalition forces are conducting intelligence,
reconnaissance and surveillance efforts in the area.
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.
"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," Harrigian added, describing efforts to
prepare Qayyarah.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
The
assault could begin as early as October, according to several US
officials. The next stage of the effort to retake Mosul will involve
attempts to seize towns and villages on the southern outskirts of the
city.
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
coalition announced Friday that it had carried out airstrikes Thursday
against a logistics facility in Mosul and an ISIS tactical unit in
Qayyarah.
The fight for Mosul is
expected to be a difficult one. Defense officials and intelligence
analysts said ISIS has dug-in since it first seized the city 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," said Harrigian, the commander of
US air forces in the Middle East.
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