Turkey supports 'US plan' for Daesh-controlled Mosul

Binali Yildirim, Prime Minister of Turkey, outlined Turkey’s support for the US’ proposed plan for Mosul, a Daesh stronghold in Iraq, at a press conference on Sunday:

The U.S. has a plan [for an operation] led by the Iraqi government to clear the city of Daesh elements. We say, we support this plan… Turkish military forces are training locals in fighting Daesh, it is very clear

Going on to say,

Mosul belongs to the [people of Mosul]. Do not let outsiders in and ruin the original demographic fabric [of the city], which might lead to a new civil war. We follow this attentively

According to a variety of media reports, the US military has stepped up its footprint in Iraq over recent weeks to around 6,000 troops and special forces in preparation to support an assault on Mosul, led by local forces.

Daesh captured Mosul, a large historic city in the North of Iraq, in 2014. It has been the cite of serious violence and the cleansing of numerous minority groups.