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The bid to retake Mosul is complicated by the fear that an assault could result in thousands of civilian casualties.
The Turkish military intensified its current counter-terrorism operations bordering Iraq and Syria.
An operation to liberate Mosul will be complicated if a dam there bursts and kills millions of civilians.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al Abadi has pledged that the army and security forces will eject the Islamic State from Iraq in 2016.
Journalist Ahmed Habib says he is committed to telling the story of Iraq's people, culture, history and politics.
Baghdad and Washington are now looking to move against the Islamic State in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.
The two sides reached consensus on using China-made equipment to support oil-gas exploitation in Iraq.
But the campaign is still likely to be long and bloody. It is estimated that there may be as many as 500 ISIL fighters barricaded in the city.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi will be on an official two-day visit to China that begins on Tuesday. Abadi will hold talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, the
Ashton Carter arrives in Baghdad amid escalating tensions between Iraq and Turkey.
