United States' plan to retake Iraqi city of Mosul from Islamic State could begin in January

A United States (US) official has confirmed that a military plan using Iraqi and Peshmerga forces to retake the city of Mosul in northern Iraq from Islamic State (IS) could begin in January.

According to CNN, the official said that the current plan is to assemble 1,000 troops with Peshmerga forces approaching from the west and Iraqi forces from the south. However, the exact size of the force cannot be determined as yet, said the official.

US led coalition airstrikes would also provide support for the operation. However, it is unclear how long such an operation could take to be successful. According to military officials, US army is planning to train 12 Iraqi and Peshmerga forces and arm members of Sunni Anbari tribe.

IS militants have taken over large swathes of Iraq and Syria in the recent months.

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