Operation Inherent Resolve, the coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, said it had conducted an air strike on a building near Khara’ib Jabr, a village south of Mosul, that was being used by IS.
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“The [US-led] coalition aircraft attacked the positions of tribal militia fighters in Qayyara region, resulting in the death of 21 soldiers and injuries to five more”, a representative for the militia was quoted by Al Sumaria news agency as saying. Gen. Najim al-Jubouri, the Nineveh Operations Commander, speaking to Bas News.
Ezzedin Dowla, who represents Mosul’s Turkmen minority in the Iraqi parliament, warned that the presence of Shi’ite and Kurdish militiamen in the government force to liberate the city could inflame sectarian tensions.
But Gen. Anderson made clear on Wednesday that after Mosul, the fight against Islamic State would be far from over, with many fearing the group will revert to guerrilla tactics and terror strikes if they lose their territorial base. Coalition aircraft bombed the house, which may have been occupied earlier by Islamic State terrorists.
Canadian Armed Forces Brig.
Tensions between Iraq and Turkey have soared in recent days as Iraqi government forces and allied volunteer fighters are preparing for a large military offensive to cleanse Mosul of ISIS terrorists.
“The countries in the coalition forces can support local forces and we can drive Daesh out of Mosul”, he said, referring to the worldwide anti-Daesh coalition of which Turkey is a member.
By all accounts, the worldwide forces encircling Mosul face a complex task of coordination, which increases the risk of friendly fire incidents.
“We’ve already seen signs of [Daesh] leaders abandoning their posts in Mosul, because they know what’s coming”. These are force numbers for the whole country.
With aerial support from the USA -led coalition, Iraqi government forces and paramilitary troops retook the town of Qayara in August. Former U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad insisted last week in a press interview that military operations could create over a million refugees.
Following that incident, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called Iraqi Premier Minister Haider al-Abadi to express his condolences.
“Within this context, Turkish military experts provided the necessary training for Iraqi police and local volunteers”, he added.
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The Iraqi legislators also urged the government to take all legal and diplomatic measures “to safeguard Iraq’s sovereignty”, and review trade and economic ties with Ankara.
