The first results of the operation against Daesh in the
Iraqi city of Mosul are encouraging, US Secretary of Defense Ashton
Carter said on Tuesday.
The secretary made the comment during his opening remarks at
the counter-Daesh ministerial in Paris, hosted by French Defense
Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and President Francois Hollande.
On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the
start of a military operation to retake Mosul from Daesh, a
jihadist group outlawed in a number of countries.
According to reports, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation, backed
by airstrikes carried out by the US-led international coalition. US
media reported on Monday that American troops embedded with Iraqi
forces, are now pushing toward Mosul’s city center.