Iraq army chief to Mosul residents: ‘Stay at home’

By Ali Sheikho, Ali Jawad and Jamal al-Badrani

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraq’s army chief of staff on Friday called on Mosul residents to stay at home and steer clear of Daesh-held military positions in the run-up to an imminent army campaign to retake the city.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with the army’s Nineveh Operations Command in the Makhmur district southeast of Mosul, Othman al-Ghanimi told Anadolu Agency that Daesh military sites in the city would soon come under fire by Iraqi forces and U.S.-led coalition warplanes.

"Zero-hour is at hand," al-Ghanimi said in reference to the looming assault on Mosul. "All political and security agencies are now in agreement regarding plans to retake the city."

A similar statement was issued by Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, who likewise called on Mosul’s civilian residents to stay in their homes.

In a related development, sources close to ongoing meetings between Turkish and U.S. military officials said Friday that Turkish-trained fighters -- currently stationed at northern Iraq’s Camp Bashiqa -- would take part in the upcoming Mosul campaign.

According to the same sources, the operation is expected to begin -- barring unforeseen circumstances -- "within days".

During the operation’s initial phase, they said, Iraqi troops will advance on the city from multiple fronts, followed by Turkish-trained fighters and Peshmerga forces.

In mid-2014, Daesh captured Mosul, capital of Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, before overrunning vast swathes of territory in the country’s north and west.

Recent months have seen Iraq’s army -- backed by its local allies on the ground and a 60-nation air coalition led by the U.S. -- retake much territory.

Nevertheless, the terrorist group remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.

In recent weeks, the army and its allies have staged a gradual advance on the city, which officials in Baghdad have vowed to "liberate" by year’s end.