21 July 2016•Update: 21 July 2016
By Ibrahim Saleh
BAGHDAD
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said Thursday that Iraqi troops were now on their way to Mosul in advance of a planned campaign to recapture the city from the Daesh terrorist group.
Al-Abadi made the remarks in capital Baghdad while attending a graduation ceremony for police cadets.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony, the prime minister said his government planned to press ahead with "the fight against terrorism, over which we have registered numerous victories, liberating our cities one after the next".
"Our troops are now advancing on Mosul with a view to retaking the city from Daesh’s terrorist gangs," he asserted.
Al-Abadi has repeatedly vowed to recapture Mosul -- Iraq’s second largest city -- from Daesh, which overran it in mid-2014.
Iraqi forces hope to first secure areas surrounding the city, located some 400 kilometers north of Baghdad, before mounting a broad offensive aimed at its recapture.
Late last month, Iraqi security forces announced the "total liberation" of the city of Fallujah from Daesh following a month-long military operation.
Located along the Firat (Euphrates) River some 50 kilometers west of Baghdad, Fallujah is one of the western Anbar province’s largest cities.
