ERBIL, Iraq
The Iraqi government has put together an armed force of 10,000 people to retake the province of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the head of Mosul's provincial council said on Sunday.
"The government has prepared its 'Freeing Mosul Plan,' which brings together a special army of Iraqi troops, peshmerga forces, the international coalition and the Mosul governorate," Bashar Kiki told The Anadolu Agency in an interview.
The number of troops could rise to 20,000, and proper discipline will be needed to train these troops, Kiki said.
The Kurdish peshmerga forces will be needed for the operation, Kiki said, and the plan might fail in their absence.
"The plan to rescue Mosul may not be implemented before spring. This is of serious concern to us, as the terrorists are, every passing day, killing people, raping women and destroying Mosul."
The number of the militants in Mosul is now more than 20,000, and they were just 2,000 when they captured the province, said Kiki.
Separately, the Iraqi Ministry of Public Works and Settlement said on Sunday that damage to property by ISIL, which controls large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, exceeded $7 billion.
"Many bridges, homes, highways and infrastructure systems were destroyed in the Diyala, Mosul, Salahaddin and Anbar provinces," the ministry said, and called for international support for restoration.
The U.S. is leading an international coalition, which includes France, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, which has carried out numerous airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
According to the UN, an estimated 1.8 million citizens have been internally displaced this year throughout Iraq.
www.aa.com.tr/en
