Mosul fighting expected to be 'ferocious'

MOSUL, Iraq, May 16 (UPI) -- Iraqi military officials said Friday the operations targeting al-Qaida operatives in Mosul will be "ferocious" as the military campaign gains momentum.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, traveled to Mosul recently to personally oversee military operations there.

Iraqi military officer Hassan al-Nuaimi told Gulf News Friday the U.S. military planned airstrikes in the area. "During the third or fourth week of the operation, Iraqi forces will stage raids and search neighborhoods to disarm radical groups and detain wanted gunmen," he said.

A civil affairs officer in Mosul, Khalid al-Najjar, told the news service the area is infiltrated by al-Qaida members and the Ansar al-Sunna organization, saying military analysts underestimated the number of fighters present.

"I believe the crucial moment of this campaign will be the most ferocious, because great numbers of suicide bombers are in Mosul, gunmen from other Iraqi cities are also gathered in Mosul," he said.

Iraqi military intelligence officer Esmail al-Hamadani told Gulf News at least three U.S. military brigades will accompany at least a full brigade from the Iraqi military in a fight against at least 5,000 militia members -- "perhaps more because our information confirms there are 7,000 armed men affiliated to al-Qaida and other organizations."

Other Iraqi officers interviewed by Gulf News said U.S. and Iraqi forces "will face unpleasant surprises" in the Mosul operation.