ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A fourth batch of 600 Iraqi army soldiers arrived in Makhmour on Wednesday night, ahead of a long-awaited battle to recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIS). "The Iraqi army battalion has brought with it various military vehicles and light weapons," said a Rudaw reporter. "The force has undergone military training by Australian military personnel in Baghdad," said the reporter, explaining that a fifth batch of soldiers was due to arrive in Makhmour next Sunday. Baghdad has begun preparations to launch an anticipated fierce battle against ISIS in Mosul, in coordination with the Kurdistan Region and the United States-led coalition. On February 9, the first military brigade from the Nineveh Operation Command arrived in the Makhmour region, a Peshmerga commander had told Rudaw. The second batch of 1,000 soldiers and 168 military vehicles arrived in the Makhmour region on Feb. 16, followed by a third batch of 600 soldiers five days later.
