Is Turkey ready for the Mosul battle?

On March 9, Iraqi Shiite militias intensified their attack against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant?s (ISIL) positions around Tikrit, around 150 kilometers north of Baghdad, to save Saddam Hussein?s hometown from the hands of jihadists. The clashes have intensified throughout this week, while there have been unconfirmed reports that Iraqi militias could soon take some important villages around Tikrit, in a sign that they would soon seize control of the town.

The Tikrit operation is important for various reasons, but most important is the fact that it would give a good green light for the Iraqi forces ? backed by anti-ISIL coalition forces? aerial bombings - to liberate the country?s third largest city, Mosul, from ISIL.

Again over the past week, Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Pesmerghas, along with a number of other Sunni tribes, have launched an offensive against the ISIL around Kirkuk, Iraq?s northern oil-rich town.

Both operations are backed by the strong aerial campaign of the anti-ISIL coalition countries and are seen as preparations for a massive offensive against jihadists to repel them from Mosul. U.S. Chief of General Staff Martin Dempsey paid a snap visit to Baghdad on March 9 to hold high level talks with Iraqi officials, advising them to be patient for the Mosul operation.

U.S. President Barack Obama?s special coordinator in combatting ISIL, John Allen, is expected to be in the region soon, and is set to visit Turkey after a brief visit to Jordan. Before him, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, was in Ankara to hold talks with Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel. However, a pre-scheduled meeting of U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass with Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu...