Signs of a Push Against ISIS, Amid Doubts on Iraqi Troops

BAGHDAD — Iraqi and American military officials have intensified talk in recent weeks of a major offensive against Islamic State militants, casting it as a quickly approaching operation that is likely to target the extremists’ stronghold in the northern city of Mosul.

But at the same time, Iraqi commanders, soldiers and police officers who could play a central role in any offensive are raising doubts about the readiness of Iraq’s ground forces. The army has struggled to recapture even smaller towns that pose less of a challenge than Mosul — Iraq’s second-largest city, which is still full of civilians and heavily defended by the militants, they say.

“Our assessment shows an offensive against Mosul is not imminent,” said Masrour Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Region Security Council. He said it would take more time to train security forces, and a greater effort by Iraq’s central government was needed to win the support of local Sunni residents and tribes around Mosul.

The urgency about the offensive reflects intensifying pressures on the Iraqi government and American military planners to deliver a signal achievement more than eight months after the Islamic State stormed Mosul and other parts of western and northern Iraq.

And the Islamic State is hardly unaware that retaking Mosul is a priority. Residents of Mosul have described the steps the militants are taking to improve the city’s defenses, including fortifying its entrances with concrete blast walls and even digging a trench around the city. Kurdish security officials say they have managed to cut off supply lines to Mosul, including from the north, but are puzzled as to why Iraqi troops have not advanced from the south in order to further isolate the militants.

“This has been slow,” Mr. Barzani said.

Omar al-Jawoshy and Falih Hassan contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on February 14, 2015, on page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: Signs of a Push Against ISIS, Amid Doubts on Iraqi Troops. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe

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