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Islamic State has 5,000 to 6,000 fighters in Mosul: Iraqi army
Islamic State has 5,000 to 6,000 fighters defending the city of Mosul against an offensive by Iraqi forces, the head of Iraq`s special forces Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati said on Wednesday.
Erbil, Iraq: Islamic State has 5,000 to 6,000 fighters defending the city of Mosul against an offensive by Iraqi forces, the head of Iraq`s special forces Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday announced the start of an offensive on the northern city, the last major stronghold of the militants in Iraq, with the backing of a U.S. led coalition.
"Intelligence information indicates that there are 5,000 to 6,000 Daesh fighters," Shaghati told a news conference near Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region east of Mosul, using an Arabic acronym of Islamic State.