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Iraq begins new phase in push towards Mosul

By Alaa Hussain in Baghdad

A vehicle bears a banner that reads 'We are coming Mosul' as Iraqi forces prepare to take on the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' in the city. [Photo courtesy of the Iraqi Ministry of Defence]

A vehicle bears a banner that reads 'We are coming Mosul' as Iraqi forces prepare to take on the 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' in the city. [Photo courtesy of the Iraqi Ministry of Defence]

Joint forces have begun a new phase in the push towards Mosul from the south, fortifying their presence on the outskirts of the city, Iraqi officials said.

Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi on Saturday (June 18th) announced the start of the "second phase of the liberation of Ninawa", which aims to take Qayyarah and make it a launchpad for Mosul, AFP reported.

Qayyarah, which has an airfield, is around 60 kilometres south of Mosul and lies across the Tigris from Makhmour, where Iraqi forces have amassed.

Forces working their way up from the south along the Tigris also remobilised on Saturday in preparation for the battle to oust the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), Salaheddine security officials said.

As the military effort picks up pace, the Ninawa provincial council told Mawtani it has drafted a plan to accommodate the anticipated wave of displaced civilians expected as a result of the operation.

Military reinforcements mobilise

The Joint Operations Command announced the start of the first phase of the campaign on March 24th, later pausing to await reinforcements.

Military reinforcements advanced from al-Taji base in Baghdad province to Salaheddine, accompanied by al-Obaidi and several senior Iraqi officers, and have been dispatched onwards to Makhmour.

The first batch of 9th Armoured Division units, from the 37th Light Mechanised Brigade, has reached Makhmour to join the Ninawa operations command, said Brig. Gen. Firas Bashar Sabri, head of information at the command.

This will support the military operation and step up the effort to liberate the villages surrounding Mosul in preparation for storming the city, he told Mawtani.

"All Iraqi forces holding positions on the outskirts of Mosul that will take part in the liberation operation have received high-level military training from Iraqi and coalition experts," he said.

The battle to liberate Ninawa is independent from that of Fallujah, Sabri said, stressing that the Iraqi forces moving in on Mosul are different from those in charge of liberating Fallujah.

The Iraqi army is capable of administering both battles simultaneously, he said.

A plan for displaced civilians

The Ninawa provincial council has prepared a comprehensive plan to accommodate the waves of displaced civilians expected as a result of the battle to liberate Mosul, council member Daoud Jundi told Mawtani.

The plan, developed in co-ordination with the federal government and the Kurdish regional government, aims to organise efforts to accommodate displaced residents and provide them with food and shelter, he said.

"Large numbers of people are not expected to flee the city," he added, noting that "displacement will be limited to areas close to the fighting".

The security forces will protect civilians fleeing the city, he said, and will help to secure their exit.

The battle to liberate Mosul may be an easy victory, Daoud said, "as intelligence coming out of Mosul reveals ISIL is suffering from infighting and low morale among its fighters as the city's residents exhibit hostility towards them".

"The liberation battle will be decisive and fierce," said Sheikh al-Miqdad Faris, leader of al-Sabawiyin tribe which is fighting alongside the Iraqi forces.

The Iraqi army and allied forces are tightening the noose around ISIL every day, he told Mawtani.

Iraqi army and tribal forces are deployed near Qayyarah to the city's south-west, he said.

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