(AhlulBayt News Agency) - U.S. President Barack Obama says a battle now underway to recapture Iraq's northern city of Mosul from ISIS militants will be "a difficult fight," but he is confident that Iraqi forces leading the military operation will defeat the militant group.
Obama's comments on October 18 come a day after Baghdad announced that Iraqi government forces had begun the long-awaited offensive.
Speaking at the White House in Washington, Obama said "the start of Iraqi operations to liberate Mosul is another major step forward."
Obama said the IS militants who seized Mosul in June 2014 "will be defeated in Mosul."
Earlier on October 18, Iraqi military commanders said progress was being made in their offensive after government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters advanced to the south and the east of Mosul.
Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said that only the "Iraqi army with the national police" will enter Mosul.
Correspondents positioned with the Peshmerga forces reported on October 18 that the Peshmerga advance had largely paused -- despite the lack of significant resistance by IS fighters east of Mosul.
Peshmerga commanders stationed along that front said on October 18 that their 4,000 fighters in the battle were consolidating gains they had made the previous day.
The deputy commander of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the battle, General Ato Zebari, indicated that his forces have been tasked primarily with holding strategic positions at villages to the east of Mosul for now, before shifting toward other objectives outside of Mosul.
Zebari said on October 18 that his troops were continuing to carry out their objectives in accordance with the battle plan.
Equally important, the president said, is preparing for any humanitarian crisis that could happen as large numbers of civilians begin to flee the violence.
“Perhaps one million civilians are still living there,” he said. “In addition to rooting out ISIS, our focus is on the safety and humanitarian aid for civilians escaping the fight. That will be a top priority for both our governments.”
"We have put together plans and infrastructure for dealing with a potential humanitarian crisis that are as extensive as the military plans," Obama said.
US military forces are on the ground in northern Iraq, supporting local forces in a range of capabilities, including “air support, artillery, intelligence, advisers and forward air controllers.”
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source : rferl
Wednesday
19 October 2016
12:32:21 PM
786497
U.S. President Barack Obama says a battle now underway to recapture Iraq's northern city of Mosul from ISIS militants will be "a difficult fight," but he is confident that Iraqi forces leading the military operation will defeat the militant group.