BAGHDAD, April 28 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren on Wednesday said it would not be possible for Iraqi Security Forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga to surround Mosul before Ramadan, clarifying a statement made by Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.
Ramadan will begin June 7. Iraqi Security Forces launched an offensive to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State in March, supported by U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. The effort began by isolating the city from surrounding areas and slowly chipping away at IS territory and supply routes. The Peshmerga later joined the offensive.