Obama, Iraqi leader vow rapid offensive to retake Mosul

Obama said once the Mosul operation was finished, it would be necessary to rebuild the city to prevent militants and extremists from returning. But he professed confidence that more territory can be wrested from the militants, in part because he said “the Iraqi forces are getting more confident”.

General Maan al-Saedi, a commander with the Iraqi counter-terrorism force, was quoted by the International Business Times UK as having said that “it is very possible” that the Iraqi security forces will “start the operation in early October”.

“Hopefully by the end of this year we will have seen further progress with respect to Mosul and. further progress with respect to economic and political stabilization inside of Iraq”.

The aggressive timeline reflects Obama’s hopes of notching another major victory against IS before he leaves office in January and hands the conflict off to his successor.

The United States deployed an additional 400 troops to Iraq earlier this month as local forces prepare for an assault on Iraq’s second largest city.

Coalition forces banded together in their fight against ISIS in Iraq appear to be closing in on Mosul- the last ISIS-held city in Iraq.

He said that Obama and Abadi planned to discuss preparation for an “effective and sustainable campaign to liberate Mosul”. The battle will require huge numbers of troops and street-by-street combat.

“As we take away more of their territory, it exposes ISIL as the failed cause that it is”, Obama said Monday, using another acronym for the extremist group.

The United Nations expects up to 1 million people could flee their homes in Mosul, the group’s de facto Iraqi capital.

The US forces will be providing support, logistics and supplies for an offensive meant to retake the last major city in Iraq held by Islamic State (Isis).

The president also held a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in which both countries condemned North Korea’s recent nuclear test and pledged closer coordination on addressing the nuclear threat from Pyongyang.

The Kurdish president Masoud Barzani emphasized during the meeting that post-liberation management of Mosul is also of enormous importance, reiterating his stance of meticulously planning for Mosul after its liberation from ISIS.