“Mosul is a large city, and ISIL has embedded itself deeply within that city”, Obama said emphasizing that coordination between the U.S., Iraqi forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters has led the U.S.to “feel confident that we will be in a position to move forward fairly rapidly”.
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The Islamic State seized Iraq’s second-largest city in 2014 when Iraqi army troops fled en masse or were slaughtered, shocking US and Iraqi officials who vowed to retake the city.
Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, is the second largest city in Iraq.
The Hashed Al Shaabi, which has played a big part in retaking ISIL-held areas since 2014, is nominally under the control of the prime minister but dominated by Tehran-backed Shiite militia.
DHS said in an emailed statement that an initial review of these cases suggest that some of the individuals may have ultimately qualified for citizenship, and that the lack of digital fingerprint records does not necessarily mean they committed fraud. “It will require resources”, Obama said. He called the group a “huge threat” to Iraq’s stability. In neighboring Syria, the civil war continues to plague the fight against the Islamic State, but in Iraq, the extremists have lost half the territory they once held, according to the U.S.
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT Iraq’s forces for its long-awaited push on Mosul will be ready in October, the top U.S. general said on Monday, in the latest sign that a full-fledged campaign to recapture the city from Islamic State is fast approaching.
Lise Grande, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, on Monday appealed for more funding to help people displaced by the conflict.
Obama also spoke with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta by phone in lieu of a face-to-face meeting.
Today, Obama will give his farewell speech to the U.N. General Assembly, meet with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and co-host the summit on the refugee and migrant crisis stemming largely from the Syria conflict. The U.S. has told invited countries they must show up with significant commitments in hand to resettle and support more refugees.
Iraqi security forces said it launched two operations to free the town of Shirqat in Salahudin province and two areas in Anbar province from Islamic State (IS) militants, security sources said.
Later this week, Obama will have meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.
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Obama said once the Mosul operation was finished, it would be necessary to rebuild the city to prevent militants and extremists from returning.
