US official: Mission to retake Mosul to begin in April, May

[webfact]

Official: Mission to retake Mosul to begin in April, May
By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — The operation to retake Iraq's second largest city from Islamic State militants will likely begin in April or May and will involve about 12 Iraqi brigades, or between 20,000 and 25,000 troops, a senior U.S. military official said Thursday.

Laying out details of the expected Mosul operation for the first time, the official from U.S. Central Command said five Iraqi Army brigades will soon go through coalition training in Iraq to prepare for the mission. Those five would make up the core fighting force that would launch the attack, but they would be supplemented by three smaller brigades serving as reserve forces, along with three Peshmerga brigades who would contain the Islamic State fighters from the north and west.

The Peshmerga are Kurdish forces from northern Iraq.

The official said there also would be a Mosul fighting force, largely made up of former Mosul police and tribal forces, who would have to be ready to go back into the city once the army units clear out the Islamic State fighters.

Included in the force would be a brigade of Iraqi counterterrorism forces who have been trained by U.S. special operations forces. The brigades include roughly 2,000 troops each. The official was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Military leaders don't often disclose as many details of an operation before it takes place, but in some cases it can have an impact on the enemy, trigger a reaction or even prompt some militants to flee before the assault begins.

The operation itself comes as no surprise to the Islamic State group. Iraqi leaders have for months made it publicly clear that they were planning an operation to retake Mosul and that they were eager to get started. In addition, U.S. officials had already acknowledged that they were beginning preparations for the Mosul mission, including using airstrikes to shut down supply lines that the insurgents were using to get equipment or people in and out of the city.

Asked why U.S. Central Command was telegraphing the timeframe and details of the operation to the enemy, the official said it was important to highlight the effort the Iraqi security forces are putting into the mission and how committed they are to it.

The official said the U.S. will provide military support for the operation, including training, air support, intelligence and surveillance. The official said there has been no decision made yet on whether to send in some U.S. ground troops to help call in airstrikes. That decision would be made by senior defense and military leaders and President Barack Obama.

Islamic State militants overtook Mosul last June, as the group marched across large sections of Iraq and Syria, sending Iraqi forces fleeing. At this point, officials estimate there are between 1,000 to 2,000 Islamic State insurgents in the city of Mosul. Military leaders have been talking about retaking the city for some time, but they have said they won't launch the operation until the Iraqi troops are ready.

The official said they wanted to retake Mosul in the spring, before the summer heat and the holiday month of Ramadan kick in.

"But by the same token, if they're not ready, if the conditions are not set, if all the equipment they need is not physically there and they (aren't) trained to a degree in which they will be successful, we have not closed the door on continuing to slide that to the right," he said.

Under the plan, the approximately 3,200 Iraqi forces that have completed the training already or are going through it now would replace the five main brigades wherever thay are now, and those five units would then go through several weeks of final training before the Mosul operation begins.

The official also revealed for the first time that Qatar has agreed to host a training site for coalition forces to train moderate Syrian rebels who would return to Syria to fight the Islamic State forces there. Other sites are in Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The training facility in Jordan is ready to go. The technical agreement on the Turkey training site was signed Thursday, and it is nearly ready. The facility in Saudi Arabia will be ready to open in one to three months, and the site in Qatar will be finished in six to nine months, the official said.

The U.S. and other coalition nations will train the Syrian fighters so they can return to their own country and battle the Islamic State group.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-20

[FangFerang]

The US improperly used a Shock and Awe campaign under false pretenses against Baghdad, and now won't do it to remove a clear and present threat. I love my country but I hate my government.

[DaddyWarbucks]

The US improperly used a Shock and Awe campaign under false pretenses against Baghdad, and now won't do it to remove a clear and present threat. I love my country but I hate my government.

It sounds like a big assault on Mosul is coming up.

If the Islamic State doesn't make a tactical retreat, the city will be leveled.

They will destroy Mosul in order to save it.

[oldsailor35]

All chance of any Islamic state withdrawal must be blocked off by a complete encirclement. Take no prisoners. These people are nothing short of a disease.

[IMA_FARANG]

It will take more than 25,000 Iraqi troops to retake Mosul. even with U.S. and other nations air support. Iraqis are cowards, they will run away from any real fighting, and the ISIS will kick the s _ _t out of them. In the end it will require U.S. ground troops to save the fat. stupid, lazy, and corrupt Iraqi government from itself.

As always the U.S. politicians have picked the corrupt, lazy, and money hungry politicians as the "leaders" of the allied countries that are our "friends". They picked such losers and crooks since the days of "South Vietnam" and they have continued that tradition of picking crooks and losers from that time on all the way .... to include Iraq and Afghanistan. That unfortunately includes both political parties and all U.S. administrations. irregardless of what political party they belonged to. Like it or not. that's what will happen.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Scott

[Rancid]

So we have the US back into using ground troops against the entity they and their allies created.

I hope these countries being brought peace and democracy fully appreciate it and don't just complain about the devastation and civilian body count.

Look how well off Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine are now, democratic paradises on earth. SOBs better show some love & respect or we'll have to bring them some more freedom.

[DaddyWarbucks]

It will take more than 25,000 Iraqi troops to retake Mosul. even with U.S. and other nations air support.

Iraqis are cowards, they will run away from any real fighting, and the ISIS will kick the s _ _t out of them.

In the end it will require U.S. ground troops to save the fat. stupid, lazy, and corrupt Iraqi government from itself.

As always the U.S. politicians have picked the corruprt, lazy, and money hungry politicians as the "leaders" of the allied countries that are our "friends".

They picked such losers and crooks since the days of "South Vietnam" and they have continued that tradition of picking crooks and losers from that time on all the way .... to include Iraq and Afghanistan.

That unfortunately includes both political parties and all U.S. administrations. irregardless of what political party they belonged to.

Like it or not. that's what will happen.

Agreed.

The Middle East is a quagmire for American forces - just as Southeast Asia was in the 1960s and '70s.

[Jonmarleesco]

'Asked why U.S. Central Command was telegraphing the timeframe and details of the operation to the enemy, the official said it was important to highlight the effort the Iraqi security forces are putting into the mission and how committed they are to it.' While giving the enemy the key to the house, the welcome mat laid out. Always assuming no smoke and mirrors.

[arjunadawn]

'Asked why U.S. Central Command was telegraphing the timeframe and details of the operation to the enemy, the official said it was important to highlight the effort the Iraqi security forces are putting into the mission and how committed they are to it.' While giving the enemy the key to the house, the welcome mat laid out. Always assuming no smoke and mirrors.

This was my only key observation regarding this OP. I scrolled thru to see who else was sickened by this nonsense. This is the difference between fighting a war and pretending to fight a war. Telegraphing tactical intentions destroys one key element of any successful assault/raid/ambush- the element of surprise. You may try to compensate with overwhelming firepower, but why surrender a tactical tool unless your ulterior motive is aiding the enemy?

[Srikcir]

"Asked why U.S. Central Command was telegraphing the timeframe and details of the operation to the enemy"

So hopefully ISIL will begin massive reinforcements into Mosul to save its reputation as a military force. The result might be two-fold.

1) ISIL weakens its positions in Syria where Syrian rebels being trained by the US & Turkey can start a counter offensive

2) ISIL exposes large forces to massive air strikes

Essentially, by the early announcement the USA makes Mosul into a reverse Kobani. It freezes ISIL forces in Mosul, stops ISIL momentum into Iraq/Syria, and destroys large ISIL troop movements into Mosul. By surrounding Mosul the anti-ISIL military forces can defeat it in detail and drive a stake through ISIL's military heart.

The downside though is that ISIL will begin a massive retaliation against the Mosul civilian population in hopes of stalling any anti-ISIL advance into the city. ISIL will reach new heights for atrocities.

[Morch]

[F430murci]

Why is our dumb arrssee administration telegraphing our moves. Hey bad guys, we are coming to you on March 31 and we are bringing x number if men to get you in that date. Obama obviously wanted and approved such an announcement. Just how retarded or brain dead can one person be, especially the one running our country.

[Morch]

Why, why, why....

Because keeping the Coalition together and going needs some PR and morale boosting. If there's a definable goal, then it is easier to focus and set sights on something (partially) tangible.

Because most people with a wee bit of knowledge on Middle East warfare can figure out the relevant time-frame and the obvious target anyway.

Because saying you're going to be doing X does not, in fact, commit you to not doing Y.

Because ISIS aren't clueless and they can see what's coming, probably got decent intel as well.

Just some possible reasons, there are probably more out there

Other than this report, does anyone actually know that these are the battle plans? Seems like much ado over one report from an anonymous source.