"If we did things alone or with some of the other allies on the ground, it could move faster. But the Iraqis have to do this themselves," Austin told the media outlet, answering the question regarding the pace of the campaign. He added that it is still unclear whether the US ground troops will take part in the offensive as well.
The US military do not have any information regarding the current size of the IS troops. Earlier this number was estimated to be about 14,000, according to the newspaper.
On Wednesday, US Ambassador to Iraq, Stuart Jones, said that US-led airstrikes had killed over 6,000 IS militants and about half of the group's leaders.
US-led airstrikes against IS positions began in August 2014 in Iraq and in September 2014 in Syria.
The Islamic State is a jihadist group that has taken vast areas across Iraq and Syria under its control, where it established a caliphate governed under the tenets of sharia law. The militant group began operating in Syria in 2012 and invaded Iraq in 2014. The group is notorious for its human rights atrocities, including beheading, against journalists, aid workers and civilians.
