MESOP : THE BATTLE FOR MOSUL STARTING Foreign Military Advisors Visit Frontlines Around Mosul – Advisors want to check layout of the area before launching Mosul operation

Basnews | Hoshmand Sadiq – 4 March 2015 – Peshmerga Commander on the Khazir front, north of Mosul Kamaran Hawrami has spoken to BasNews about the latest developments in plans to liberate Mosul.

“Coalition advisors are visiting frontlines around Mosul in order to scope out the area and prepare for the Mosul offensive against Islamic State (IS),” Hawrami told BasNews. He went on, “When they visit the frontlines, they gather information about the terrain and environment of the area.” “Advisors have told us that before launching the operation, they need to know the frontlines and what kind of military equipment will be needed for the operation,” said Hawrami. Iraqi Defense Minister Khalid al-Obeidi recently visited the Kurdistan Region and met with Peshmerga Minister Mustafa Sayyid Qadir. A central topic of their meeting was the participation of Peshmerga forces in plans to free Mosul. The Ministry of Peshmerga and Kurdish officials have not made a final decision about Peshmerga participation. The ministry says that the decision has to be made b Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani.In June last year, IS insurgents took control of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq as the Iraqi army fled, leaving a huge haul of heavy weapons for the jihadist organisation.