WASHINGTON DC – Iraqi army victories on their northern front with the Islamic State group are disrupting ISIS communications lines and laying the groundwork for the anticipated joint offensive on Mosul, the Vice Director for Operations Rear Admiral Andrew Lewis said. “Iraqi security forces have begun shaping an isolation operation for re-taking Mosul, with U.S. and coalition partner supporting them with air power and other enabling capabilities,” Lewis told reporters at The Pentagon. Commanders have explained that their strategy is to disrupt ISIS supply lines by cutting off access to Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city and the militants’ home base in Iraq. “We have seen steady progress as the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) continues to re-capture territory, to include HIT and Makhmour,” he added. “These are vital nodes in ISIL's (ISIS) communication networks both in Iraq and Syria, and are important stepping stones in isolating Mosul. The ISF's capabilities continue to grow, and their newly-trained troops are having a positive impact,” he said. Iraqi forces advanced into Hit in Anbar province – Iraq’s largest – on Thursday, with progress reportedly slowed by ISIS landmines. For about a fortnight, the Iraqi army and its allied Sunni militia have been fighting on the Makhmour front as well. They have captured several small villages but have been unable to break into al-Nasr. Iraqi commanders explain that ISIS is putting up stiff resistance in al-Nasr, the largest village in the area, because it is the gateway to six other villages that are in ISIS hands. The anticipated offensive to push ISIS out of Mosul is expected to involve the Iraqi army and its allied militias, Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the US-led coalition, which has been providing air support in the war against the militants in Iraq and Syria. Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said last month there was no firm date for the offensive on Mosul, which is expected to include Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the US-led Coalition that has been fighting ISIS since after the militants stormed across Iraq in June 2014, capturing about a third of Iraq, including Mosul. Asked if an estimate by Iraqi officials that Mosul would be liberated by the end of this year or early next year was correct, Warren said: “That's certainly something that we would like to see,” He said that the Iraqis are “developing and finalizing their plan.”
