Reuters, 06/04 16:58 CET
By Isabel Coles and Stephen Kalin
ERBIL/BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) –
An Iraqi army offensive touted as the first phase of a campaign to
recapture the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State has been paused
until more forces arrive to hold ground, the commander in charge said on
Wednesday.
Almost three weeks into the operation, Iraqi forces have
retaken just three villages from Islamic State in the Makhmour area,
which is set to be a key staging ground for a future assault on Mosul,
around 60 km (40 miles) further north.
The faltering start has cast renewed doubt on the
capabilities of the Iraqi army, which partially collapsed when Islamic
State militants took around a third of the country in 2014.
Major General Najm Abdullah al-Jubbouri, who is in charge
of the offensive, said that Iraqi forces were now waiting for the
arrival of federal police units and additional local tribal fighters to
hold territory after it is retaken.
That would free up his forces to go on the offensive
against the insurgents, Jubbouri said in a statement, dismissing what he
described as efforts to disparage the army. “We do not want to use all
our units to hold territory,” he said.
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Source: Euronews
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