Battle for Mosul Weeks Away as 500 US ‘Advisers’ Jet In

Hundreds of American troops have arrived in Iraq to co-ordinate a looming assault on Mosul, the largest city still under the control of Islamic State.

Nearly 500 US military advisers have flown into Qayyara airbase 40 miles south of the city in the past week as their commanders gear up for an offensive to retake the city within weeks.

Between eight and 12 Iraqi army brigades of up to 30,000 men are being prepared for the attack, officials claim.

President Barzani of Kurdistan said that final planning was complete and the city could be taken by the end of the year.