Col. Bills: Mosul should be under control by July

[unhappycamper]

Top commander in area said U.S. and Iraqi forces should be in full control of Mosul by the end of July


Col. Bills: Mosul should be under control by July
By Drew Brown , Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, February 29, 2008

MOSUL, Iraq — U.S. and Iraqi forces should be in full control of Mosul by the end of July, the top U.S. commander here said this week.

U.S. soldiers, along with Iraqi army and police, are establishing a series of combat outposts around the city, pushing al-Qaida and other insurgent groups from neighborhoods they’ve controlled for years, said Col. Michael A. Bills, commander of 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

“We have gone into areas where nobody has gone into in the past,” said Bills, after touring several of the outposts earlier this week. “You have to go in there where they are strong … and that will force the insurgents to leave the area.”

Mosul, located about 225 miles north of Baghdad, has been described by top U.S. military officials as the last urban stronghold in Iraq for al-Qaida and other insurgent groups.

About 2,000 U.S. troops, composed of two battalions — the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, and 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment — are operating in Mosul. They are backed up by 22,000 Iraqi army and police, including the Iraqi army’s 2nd Division.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52935



uhc comment: We've been "surging" for how long? And Mosul "should" be under our control by July? Gimmeafuckingbreak.