Offensive to retake Mosul underway: Iraq

The Iraqi military, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, launched an operation to recapture the northern city of Mosul, a military spokesman said. In the push, Iraqi forces retook several villages on the outskirts of the town of Makhmour, east of Mosul, early Thursday morning and hoisted the Iraqi flag there, according to the spokesman for the Joint Military Command, Brigadier general Yahya Rasool. 

He said that the US-led international coalition was providing air support, but would not divulge more details on the offensive, which he said was dubbed “Operation Conquest.” It was not immediately clear how long such a complex and taxing offensive would take. Only recently, Iraqi and US officials refrained to give a specific time on when the Mosul operation could begin, saying it would take many months to prepare Iraq’s still struggling military for the long-anticipated task of retaking the  key city.