The U.S. military is committed to helping the Iraqi government meet its goal of liberating the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul by the end of this year, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq told reporters Wednesday.
“The prime minister has said he wants to be at Mosul by the end of the year. We’re going to do everything we can to help that happen, to make that happen,” said Army Col. Chris Garver, in a teleconference from an undisclosed U.S. military headquarters in the region.
“If we can get into the city and start to fight before the end of the year, we definitely want to do that as well.”
Garver says the defeat of the Islamic State in its de facto capitals in Iraq and Syria is seen as the key to breaking the back of group’s grip on its self-declared caliphate.
“The two prizes are Mosul and Raqqa. And those are the capitals that we’re driving towards,” Garver said, referring to the Islamic State by the Arabic acronym Daesh. “If we can capture those and defeat Daesh in those cities, it will have a significant, significant impact on the campaign and Daesh’s fight inside the two countries.”
The Pentagon has consistently refused to predict when either Raqqa or Mosul will fall, although various senior officials, such as Vice President Joe Biden, have at times made optimistic statements about the liberation of Mosul coming this year.
But other officials have downplayed the prospect, insisting the shaping operations will continue for months and the eventual assault will be on “an Iraqi timetable.”
Former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jack Keane, who after his retirement was an influential advocate for the “surge” by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2007, said in a published interview that the U.S. military thinks the Iraqi forces aren’t ready for what will likely be the pivotal battle of the war against the Islamic State.
“The Iraqi army would like to launch that assault this year, but the U.S. military command is recommending they do it next year, after they’ve been able to train more forces,” Keane told the website The Cipher Brief.
Keane, who is highly respected and maintains contact with current commanders, said he also believes the U.S. general in charge of the anti-Islamic State campaign is already saying he will need up to 1,000 more troops to ensure the success of the Iraqi forces.
“I also believe that Gen. Sean MacFarland … has made a request for additional U.S. forces, somewhere north of 1,000 trainers, advisers and, I believe, tactical air controllers who can better facilitate the use of air power for the attack on Mosul.”
Garver gave a “non-denial denial” of that notion, saying MacFarland is always discussing possible enhancements in capabilities, but that there were no “big asks right around the corner” that were going to be announced.
But Garver also admitted that if MacFarland was asking for more troops, it’s not something he would disclose.
“He’s not going to discuss that publicly,” Garver said, “partially for operational security reasons, partially so that leaders can make decisions without it being debated in front of them.”
But Garver also said the U.S. is doing everything it can to accelerate the campaign and move as quickly as possible to wage what are seen as the two decisive battles left to fight. “If and when we take Mosul and we take Raqqa, I think at that point we would say, you know, we’re very pleased with the progress.”
