US, Iraq readying Mosul offensive against IS group: mediaJanuary 24, 2015 - 11:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States and Iraq are preparing to retake Iraq's second-largest city Mosul from the Islamic State group by this summer, The Wall Street Journal reports. As Agence France-Presse reports citing The Wall Street Journal, a group of Kurdish fighters and other Western-trained forces should be ready to launch the offensive by the spring or summer, the head of the US military's Central Command General Lloyd Austin told the Journal. "If we did things alone or with some of the other allies on the ground, it could move faster," he told the newspaper. "But the Iraqis have to do this themselves." The general said he had not decided whether to recommend that US forces accompany Iraqis on the offensive. The US air strikes have recently focused on putting pressure on IS-held Mosul. Kurdish peshmerga forces have also launched successful offensives against IS-held roads near Mosul, which is in the north of the country. The city once held well over a million people but now is likely a fraction of that size. The general told the newspaper that the international coalition fighting IS has made significant headway in its battle to roll back the group's control over large swaths of the country. Defense officials say their air strikes have killed thousands of jihadists. The Iraqi government recently asked for more weapons to help its military that partially collapsed in early stages of the fight against IS. Photo: AFP Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenian delegation participating in NATO PA session The delegation is headed by Andranik Kocharyan, the chairman of the standing committee on defense and security matters. Schengen visa cost won’t change for Armenia – diplomat The increase in the cost of a Schengen visa will not apply to citizens of Armenia, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said. Yeremyan Projects opens state-of-the-art dairy production plant Yeremyan Projects officially launched the Yeremyan Products state-of-the-art milk processing plant in Yerevan on May 24. Armenian PM’s helicopter makes emergency landing in Vanadzor The helicopter transporting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made an emergency landing in Vanadzor. |