Senior Kurdish commander says Mosul offensive to start in mid-October

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A top Kurdish military official told Rudaw Monday that the anticipated offensive to recapture Mosul from ISIS militants will take place in October.

 

Arif Taifour, a senior Kurdish official and commander of Peshmerga forces, said preparations are in the final stage with the offensive likely to start in two weeks.

 

"The Mosul war is imminent: in October. I don't know the exact time, but it should start October 15 or 20," Taifour told Rudaw.

 

Several local and international forces have said they will take part in the operation, including the controversial Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi and the Turkish army.

 

Baghdad has raised concerns over possible Turkish participation in the battle and asked Ankara to withdraw troops that have been based near Mosul since last year.

 

Ankara says their force has been engaged in training the Sunni militia ahead of the Mosul operation.

 

"It is an issue between Baghdad and Ankara and we are not part of it. Turkey did not move there with our prior knowledge. They are there for the battle," Taifour said.

 

Also, the possible participation of the Shiite militia has stirred debate in the country as Sunni officials fear an escalation of religious tensions between the two groups that could boost the local support for ISIS, which is a Sunni jihadi group.

 

Yousef al-Kilabi, a spokesperson for the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi told Rudaw Monday that the group would take part in the offensive despite concerns.

 

Al-Kilabi said some 20,000 members of the Shiite militia were from the city of Mosul, which according to him have knowledge about the city and would be effective in the battle.

 

"The people of Mosul are our countrymen and in the past all the diverse communities in the city have been in contact with us, asking us to liberate their city from ISIS," al-Kilabi said.

 

"We have promised to protect them as we have done in other areas," he added.

 

Although a large international air force, supported by both the Iraqi and Kurdish forces, is believed to take part in the offensive, many fear long-drawn bloody clashes to continue inside the city, as in other Iraqi cities in Anbar province.

 

The Iraqi and Kurdish forces have virtually besieged Mosul, leaving only one escape route for the militants to leave the city for neighboring Syria, hoping many of the foreign fighters would choose the safety of ISIS-held areas in Syria than a bloody war in Mosul.