Pentagon publicly details plans, dates to retake Mosul from ISIS

Iraqi forces are preparing for the Mosul seige
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

In a briefing on Thursday, a U.S. Central Command official detailed how and when up to 25,000 Iraqi troops plan to retake Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, from Islamic State control, starting in April or May. Twelve brigades will be involved, the official said: five that will lead the attack, three acting as backup, three Kurdish peshmerga brigades to box ISIS in, and a force of former Mosul police and other leaders tasked with keeping control of the city once ISIS is evicted.

"Military leaders don't often disclose as many details of an operation before it takes place," notes The Associated Press' Lolita C. Baldor, "but in some cases it can have an impact on the enemy, trigger a reaction, or even prompt some militants to flee before the assault begins." The U.S. will help train the brigades and provide air support and intel, and there's a chance President Obama will authorize U.S. ground troops to direct airstrikes.

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Peter Weber

Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.