iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Capt. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the U.S. military, told ABC News that the coalition of forces fighting ISIS in Mosul has not stalled in its offensive despite reports of roadside explosives and booby traps.
“It would be absolutely crazy to suggest on day two [of the offensive] that we’re stalled already,” Davis said, explaining that “pauses” were created so that forces could wait for logistics or clearance to catch up with operations.
Ten-thousand Kurdish forces, 18,000 Iraqi forces and 3,000 Iraqi federal police are involved in the operation on Mosul. Roughly 100 American advisers are also involved in the mission, which is divided into two fronts — one west of the Great Zab river and the other just north Qayyarah.
The American advisers typically stay at the division headquarters level, Davis said, but those that work with the Kurdish and Iraqi special operations work directly in the field. Additional personnel in Qayarrah and Makhmour are serving as logistical bases for the offensive.
The attack on Mosul, a city of one million, has already unleashed streams of refugees that is likely to intensify in the coming days, and may threaten to overwhelm camps.
At least 200,000 people could be displaced as a result of the offensive, according to United Nations estimates.
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