Mosul plan in ‘final stage’: Iraqi official

By Ali Jawwad

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraqi military commanders are putting the final touches on a plan to recapture the northern city of Mosul from Daesh terrorists, a military official has said.

“The plan to liberate Mosul has been drafted and we are putting the final touches on it,” Gen. Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

He said the plan will be presented to Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to determine the exact date for the offensive.

“The Defense Ministry is currently finalizing the military build-up near Mosul,” Rasool said.

In mid-2014, Daesh captured Mosul -- Iraq’s second largest city -- along with vast swathes of territory in the country’s northern and western regions.

Recent months have seen the Iraqi army -- backed by a 60-nation coalition led by the U.S. -- retake much territory. Nevertheless, Daesh remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.

Iraqi troops and Kurdish peshmerga fighters have recently captured a number of areas on the outskirts of Mosul, which Iraqi officials have vowed to recapture by year’s end.