Erbil: We're ready when Baghdad is for Mosul liberation

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region--Kurdish officials say they are ready to participate in the long anticipated liberation of Iraq's second-city, Mosul, which has been occupied by the Islamic State (ISIS) group since June 2014.

The chief of staff of the Kurdistan Region's President Massoud Barzani, Fuad Hussein, told the Washington Post that, "We had [a] discussion to liberate Mosul last year in March...and now we're in January 2016. So it has been delayed."

"The question," he contends, "is why? ... To be honest it has to do with the Iraqis, we need a partner."

Hussein believes that Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service has a fighting chance to gain ground against ISIS in Mosul.

That force, with close U.S. air support, reclaimed large swaths of Anbar's provincial capital Ramadi in December. But fighting continues, a larger conventional ground force will likely be needed to hold the gains that these Special Forces make at ISIS's expense.

"That unit has good fighters and are well organized and [has] a lot of experience," Hussein said, "so we need them to be with us as partners so that we can jointly with the American help, can liberate Mosul."

Since last March Kurdish Peshmerga forces have gradually consolidated their gains along the front-lines and are securing positions on Mosul's east, north and more recently its west when it forced ISIS from Shingal last November. Iraqi forces participating in the city's liberation will come from the south.