ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – During the upcoming operation to liberate Mosul from Islamic State (ISIS) militants neither the Kurdish Peshmerga nor the Shiite militia of Hashd al-Shaabi will enter the city throughout the course of the operation, the US Deputy Secretary of State has said.
“The core of the force that liberates Mosul will be the Iraqi security forces backed by the coalition with the support of the Peshmerga,” Antony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday.
After the city is captured, Blinken added, the US hopes to have developed a 15,000-man Sunni Arab force to secure and stabilize the city after the militants are forced out.
“The tribal elements that are being trained, equipped, brought on board with the goal of getting 15,000 of them will predominantly be the holding force once the city is liberated,” he explained.
Meanwhile, US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian told reporters that while the Peshmerga will participate in the operation to retake Mosul “the details of their involvement are still being worked out.”
In early August the Peshmerga advanced closer to Mosul, seizing several villages from ISIS control. According to Peshmerga commander Sheikh Jaffar Mustafa Peshmerga forces are, in some areas, as close as 10 kilometers to the city of Mosul.
Iraqi forces are expected to assault Mosul from Qayyara airbase, which is 60 kilometers south of the city and was recaptured from ISIS back in July. Currently hundreds of US military advisors are helping the Iraqis establish Qayyara as a logistical hub ahead of their assault on Mosul, where they will play a supporting role in the operation.
