Iraq Plans Offensive In Mosul

Published February 17, 2015 at 12:12 PM EST

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Iraqi policemen raise their weapons during a training session at a camp in the Bardarash district, 30 kilometres northeast of Mosul on January 10, 2015 as they prepare to recapture the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, currently under the control of Islamic State (ISIS) group fighters. ISIS spearheaded a sweeping militant offensive in June that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, and also holds significant territory in Iraq and Syria. (Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi tells the BBC his army is planning an attack to retake the northern city of Mosul, which was seized by ISIS last June. He says the offensive will begin in a few months and could liberate Mosul with a minimum of casualties.

Meantime, ISIS forces are on their own offensive in the south. They attacked a major military base in Anbar province last week. There are about 300 U.S. personnel on that base, but none of them were involved in the battle.

NPR’s Ari Shapiro joins Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson from Iraq to discuss the fight against ISIS in Iraq.

Institute for the Study of War: Iraq Situation Report: February 14-16, 2015

Guest

Ari Shapiro, international correspondent for NPR. He tweets @AriShapiro.