MOSUL, Iraq -- A top Iraqi general has told The Associated Press that Iraqi forces on the edges of Mosul have received reinforcements and are now ready, along with elite special forces, to launch a new assault against militants in the city's east.
The planned assault aims in part to overcome stiff resistance by the Islamic State group that has slowed advances.
Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, commander of the counterterrorism forces in eastern Mosul, said late Tuesday that federal police have joined units from the military's 9th Division stationed southeast of Mosul, and more troops have joined the army's 16th Division on the north side.
They will open two new fronts, along with the counterterrorism forces advancing from the east, al-Saadi said. He did not give details on when the assault would begin.