Top Iraqi commander: Mosul could be liberated in 3 months
IRBIL, Iraq — A top Iraqi commander told The Associated Press that the operation to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group could be complete in three months or less.
“It’s possible” that Mosul will be liberated in in that time frame, Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati said in an interview with the AP on Tuesday evening. However, he warned it is difficult to give an accurate estimate of how long the operation will take because it is not a conventional fight.
“There are many variables,” he said, describing the combat as “guerrilla warfare.”
On Wednesday, Iraqi forces announced that three more neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul had been retaken from IS fighters. Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil of Iraq’s special forces estimated about 85 per cent of eastern Mosul was now under Iraqi control.