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 has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.