US Official: Peshmerga, Shia militia won’t enter Mosul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Neither the Kurdish Peshmerga forces nor the Shia militias will enter Mosul as Iraqi troops prepare to free the city from the Islamic State (IS), a US official told lawmakers on Thursday.

Addressing the military operation to retake Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq from the jihadist group, the US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Washington aims to develop a force made of 15,000 Sunni Arabs to ensure the stability and security of Mosul after the liberation of the city.

“The core of the force that liberates Mosul will be the Iraqi security forces backed by the coalition with the support of the Peshmerga,” Blinken continued. “The tribal elements that are being trained, equipped, brought on board with the goal of getting 15,000 of them will predominantly be the holding force once the city is liberated.”

On Wednesday, Col. John Dorrian, the spokesperson for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, told reporters at a press conference in Baghdad that Peshmerga will participate in the offensive, “although the details of their involvement are still being worked out.”

Mosul fell under the control of the IS in June 2014. Since then, the jihadist group has continued to shrink and lose territory in both Iraq and Syria.

According to the US-led coalition, there are about 3,000 to 4,500 IS extremists in Mosul, who are from Iraq and abroad.

The US seeks to use Qayyarah air base, located 65 km (40 miles) from south of Mosul, to provide air and logistic support to the Iraqi security forces

The military operation is planned to launch before the end of 2016.

Editing by Ava Homa