Iraq Building Up Special Army To Retake Mosul
The Iraqi government has put together an armed force of 20,000 people to retake the province of Mosul from the ISIL Takfiri group, the head of Mosul’s provincial council said.
“The government has prepared its Freeing Mosul Plan, which brings together a special army of Iraqi troops, Peshmarga forces, and the Mosul governorate,” Bashar Kiki said, Wolrd Bulletin reported.
Kiki said that the Kurdish Peshmarga forces will be needed for the operation, and the plan might fail in their absence.
“The plan to rescue Mosul may not be implemented before spring. This is of serious concern to us, as the terrorists are, every passing day, killing people, raping women and destroying Mosul,” he added.
According to the UN, an estimated 1.8 million citizens have been internally displaced this year throughout Iraq.
Iraqi Army kills 300 ISIL terrorists in Ramadi Area
Meanwhile, the Iraqi army made major advances in Al-Anbar province in the western parts of the country, a senior Iraqi army commander said Saturday, adding that the army killed hundreds of militants of the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) takfiri terrorist group in fresh clashes in recent weeks.
“The security forces, supported by the popular forces, killed 300 ISIL terrorists in clashes in Huz and Sajariyah in Al-Ramadi area in the past three weeks,” Iranian Fars news agency quoted Major General Qassem Al-Mohammadi, the commander of the Iraqi army’s operations in Al-Anbar province, as saying.
He underlined that the security forces have made major advances in Heet district as well as Huz and Sajariyah districts of Ramadi.
On Saturday, the Iraqi armed forces successfully repelled an attack by ISIL Takfiri militants on a government complex in Ramadi.
Over the past weeks, the ISIL militants have made numerous attempts to take control of the government complex in Ramadi, but they have failed to do so amid stiff resistance by Iraqi soldiers and volunteer forces.
Anbar province, which borders conflict-ravaged Syria, has been a major stronghold of the ISIL militants.
Iraqi troops are engaged in fierce battles with the ISIL extremists to liberate the province.
FNA, Al- Manar News
R.S