Preparations for an assault on Mosul have been under way for months, with thousands of Iraqi troops having been moved to Nineveh province since mid-February. SDF spokesman Col. Talal Sillo said the command will meet soon to plan for another offensive in northern Syria.
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U.S. Marine Corps counter-battery fire was unable to destroy the location from which the rockets were launched, as ISIS is known to use mobile launchers and quickly abandon its fire location.
The operation seeks to improve the safety of the troops at the base “because there will be less enemy nearby”, Warren said.
Airstrikes by the US-led campaign and an ongoing Russian mission in Syria have pinned the Islamic State back, it said.
But Jangi, who is in charge of counterterrorism operations south of Mosul in the Kirkuk-Suleymania area and works closely with USA forces, said President Barack Obama must commit more ground forces.
The U.S. government has designated parts of the University of Mosul “Islamic State headquarters”, according to a report from VICE News, a revelation that comes days after airstrikes on the educational institution reportedly killed at least a dozen Iraqi civilians.
“The Iraqi armed forces, supported the Kurdish Peshmerga and [US-led] coalition aviation, managed to get a foothold in the village of Nasr, located 25 kilometers [15.5 miles] from Mosul”, the Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti. “Roger M. Cabiness II”, told Scout Warrior.
Backed by air power from a U.S.-led coalition of Western and Arab states, and by the peshmerga, Iraqi troops advanced westwards at dawn, recapturing several villages from the militants, according to multiple military sources.
Iraqi forces have scored important recent gains against Daesh. Many have been tasked with training Iraqi soldiers, but others, such as the new contingent of Marines, are engaged either in active battles or in leading special operations to rescue hostages. While the city itself is in government hands, the outskirts are still being painstakingly cleared of Islamic State fighters.
So officials have been walking a fine line as they describe the operations of the Marine artillery unit, insisting everything is related to “force protection” of the Iraqi and US forces at the Makhmour base.
Early Monday morning, four cars laden with explosives hit an Iraqi military checkpoint along the Euphrates River Valley about 27 miles north of the Hit operation.
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Updated on March 24, 2016: Comments from the Pentagon have been added to this article.
