Pentagon Chief 'Encouraged' by Counter-Daesh Mosul Operation Results

The US secretary of defense is "encouraged" by the results of Baghdad's operation to liberate Mosul from Daesh.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The first results of the operation against Daesh in the Iraqi city of Mosul are encouraging, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said on Tuesday.

#SecDef: I’m encouraged by results of #MosulOp thus far. And while we know it will be a tough fight I’m confident the ISF will succeed

— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) 25 октября 2016 г.

​The secretary made the comment during his opening remarks at the counter-Daesh ministerial in Paris, hosted by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and President Francois Hollande.

On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of a military operation to retake Mosul from Daesh, a jihadist group outlawed in a number of countries.

According to reports, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation, backed by airstrikes carried out by the US-led international coalition.

US media reported on Monday that American troops embedded with Iraqi forces, are now pushing toward Mosul’s city center.