Iraqi Operation to Liberate Mosul From Daesh to Be Swift, Unexpected

All Iraqi forces on the ground signaled their readiness to start the operation to liberate the northern city of Mosul from the Daesh terrorist group, according to Nineveh province security committee member.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Iraqi army's operation to liberate the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) jihadist group will start unexpectedly and proceed swiftly, Mohamed Ibrahim Bayati, the head of the Nineveh province security committee, said Sunday.

"The operation to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State will be swift and unexpected," Bayati told the Iraqi Al Mada Press news agency.

Another security committee member told the news outlet that all Iraqi forces on the ground had signaled their readiness to start the operation.

The US-led coalition forces, which will support Iraqi troops, are also ready for the offensive, according to the committee member.

The Iraqi forces are carrying out operations in the Nineveh Governorate in preparation for an assault on Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city that is currently under Daesh control.

On Friday, the US army said over 5,000 US troops will support Iraqi forces in the Mosul operation.

In late September, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that there is information on the Iraqi government and Kurdish Peshmerga forces planning to launch the operation on October 19.

Mosul has been occupied by the Daesh since June 2014 and declared the Iraqi capital of the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate. The Daesh is outlawed in many countries around the world, including Russia and the United States.