US Envoy: Mosul operation started with Sinjar

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The military operation to liberate Mosul in northern Iraq began with the liberation of Sinjar (Shingal), said US Special Envoy Brett McGurk on Saturday.

In a press conference held at the US Embassy in Baghdad, McGurk pointed out that the Mosul operation already began several months ago.

“[The] Mosul operation has already started. It started with Peshmerga liberating Sinjar [Nov. 13, 2015], cutting off the main highway into Mosul,” he said. 

“It [also] began with operations on the Syrian border when al-Shadadi was [liberated], which was the key road access network for Da’esh to Raqqa Province into Mosul,” McGurk stated, using the Arabic pejorative for Islamic State (IS).

“So [the Mosul operation] has already begun, and Da’esh is pressured from all directions, and this will [continue],” he added.

Additionally, McGurk mentioned that in a recent meeting with US President Barack Obama, the process to liberate Mosul will be accelerated.

McGurk also highlighted that the US is not only focusing on defeating IS but also what follows, particularly stabilizing the liberated territories.

He explained that the coalition will make sure that Iraq receives enough funding to help reconstruct liberated areas as well as encourage Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to return home whenever and wherever possible.

Mosul is the second largest city in Iraq and has been under IS control since June 2014. Recently, some military operations are ongoing near the southeastern part of the city led by the Iraqi Army in cooperation with Peshmerga forces and the international coalition.

According to Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, the Mosul operation will be conducted in the first half of 2016.

Reporting by Mewan Dolamari

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Benjamin Kweskin