Iraqi Army Eyes Mosul After Retaking Ramadi

Reuters: Exclusive: Iraqi army needs Kurds' help to retake Mosul - Zebari

The Iraqi army will need the Kurds' help to retake Mosul, the largest city under the control of Islamic State with the planned offensive expected to be very challenging in a region home to rival religious and ethnic groups, an Iraqi minister said. Mosul, 400 km (250 miles) north of Baghdad, has been designated by the government as the next target for Iraq's armed forces after they retook the western city of Ramadi, the first major success of the U.S.-trained force that initially fled in the face of Islamic State's advance 18 months ago.

Retaking the mostly Sunni city of Mosul would be hard as the local and regional players in northern Iraq have diverging agendas. The region is a mosaic of different ethnic and religious groups lying between Turkey, Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan.

It would effectively mark the end of the caliphate proclaimed by Islamic State in adjacent Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria, Iraq's Finance Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told Reuters in an interview.

More News On The Iraqi Government Vowing To Retake The City Of Mosul

Iraqi army needs Kurdish fighters' assistance to retake Mosul from Islamic State, minister says -- ABC News Australia
Mosul liberation not possible without Peshmerga, says Iraqi minister -- Rudaw
Iraq Needs Kurds' Help to Recapture Mosul From Daesh -- Sputnik
After Ramadi, Iraq vows to retake Mosul and deal 'fatal blow' to Isil in 2016 -- The Telegraph
Iraq's prime minister pledges to recapture the country's second city of Mosul from Isis -- The Independent
Iraqi army eyes Mosul after retaking Ramadi -- DW
After ISIS Ramadi Defeat, Is Mosul Next? Retaking Second Largest Iraqi City From Islamic State Could Be A Challenge -- IBTimes