Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi on Sunday criticized the United States for declaring a time frame for an offensive to recapture the Islamic State's northern stronghold of Mosul, saying military commanders should not show their hand to the enemy.
Al-Obeidi said the timing of the Mosul assault is for Iraq to decide, and that a U.S. Central Command official who predicted the attack is likely to take place in April or May had no knowledge of the issue.
Islamic State fighters seized Mosul last June as they swept through northern Iraq toward Baghdad, meeting virtually no resistance from the army and establishing a self-declared caliphate straddling the border between Iraq and Syria.