"Most of Mosul and its surroundings in Nineveh province have been liberated. This is 40 out of 56 districts. Work is beginning to liberate the remaining 16 districts," Jaafari said.
The Iraqi diplomat attributed a slowdown in the campaign to the terrorists' use of civilians as human shields, as well as "vast stocks of modern weapons."
"The doctrine of the Iraqi army is to try to avoid civilian casualties. The Daesh takes advantage of that," Jaafari said. "That is why we are not in a rush, we allocate additional funds at the risk of our soldiers in order to save civilian lives. We need time to liberate the city with the least amount of losses."
The operation to retake Mosul from terrorists has been continuing since October 17. The battle for the city began with 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and 30,000 Iraqi soldiers backed by the US-led anti-terror coalition advancing on the city from the east, west and south.
Mosul has been occupied by Daesh, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and other countries, since 2014.
The Iraqi government could involve the powerful Shiite militia known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in the campaign to reclaim Mosul from the Daesh jihadists when needed, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari told Sputnik.
"Hash al-Shaab is an Iraqi organization, it has the necessary experience," Jaafari said. "If a situation arises when we will need its help, then we will ask for it. Why not?"
The Iraqi diplomat noted the late November vote by Iraqi lawmakers to legalize and incorporate the PMF into the Iraqi army, despite Sunni objections.
"The parliament voted for it, and it has appropriate support," Jaafari stressed.
The PMF is currently tasked with clearing from terrorists the city Tal Afar 40 miles west of Mosul.
The PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi, is an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization composed of 40 predominantly Shiite militias with reportedly up to 100,000 members. It has been subjected to criticism from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, among other Sunni states, for fomenting sectarian discord.
The Iraqi government has rejected the accusations.
Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!
