Iraq army prepared for final push to retake Mosul

Turkey neither has an eye on Iraq's land nor has any secret agenda, and whoever thinks in contrary is acting maliciously or in deep delusion, he said.

Correspondents also report the movement of Iraqi government forces and allied militas to the south and east of Mosul.

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, which is aimed at eliminating the Islamic State terrorist group from Iraq and Syria.

Turkey says its troops are going to be there to prevent any potential sectarian conflict in and around Mosul after the city is taken from Daesh. But past year, Turkey expanded its military presence outside the Kurdish areas near Mosul.

Forces trained by the Turkish military at the Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq will take part in the planned operation to drive ISIS out of the city of Mosul, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.

The plan to wrest control of the city, located 250 miles north of Baghdad, involves some 30,000 troops in one of the most complex operations yet for Iraq's military. Kurdish and Shiite fighters are jockeying for a role in what is considered the last major battle against the militancy as both seek to expand their political influence across Iraq.

"We would like to tell (civilians in Mosul) we are coming very soon, god willing", said Ahmed Hussein, a special forces solider who was perched on the hood of a black armored Humvee. A group of soldiers now on the Mosul front line joked that they liberated the Beiji oil refinery in central Iraq at least five times before it held.

He added that Iraq is building 20 camps for refugees to flee Mosul during the fight.

According to Dorrian, Daesh is flying drones over US - and Iraqi-controlled bases but he said most are for surveillance rather than engaging in a "sort of Trojan Horse-style attack".

Turkey's primary concern regarding an operation is to carry out the offensive in coordination in order to secure people of Mosul, the spokesperson stated.

A senior US official said Turkish forces entered Iraqi territory to train local volunteers one and a half year ago with the Iraqi government's consent.

From a Kurdish Peshmerga base atop a hill along the front line, Lt. Col. Mohhesin Hassan said he's watched the steady buildup of Iraqi ground forces over the past week. Please see our terms of service for more information. The U.S. -backed assault on the city has been expected to begin this month. "We're exhausted of fighting".