Iraq, with the help of the US-led coalition fighting ISIS, is setting up 20 camps for internally displaced citizens that may flee the coming battle in Mosul. The coalition and other international organizations have expressed concern for the coming humanitarian crisis as Iraqi forces attempt to remove ISIS fighters from Mosul—the largest ISIS-held city in Iraq. Air Force Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said during a Wednesday briefing that the coalition is meeting with Iraqi officials to determine the best way to help the city’s citizens. Iraqi President Haider al-Abadi, in a recent radio address in Mosul, urged residents to cooperate with Iraqi security forces to help them retake Mosul. In other cities, such as the recent liberation of Sharqat last month, some residents rose up to help combat ISIS, Dorrian said. (See also: More Than 600 Additional Troops Headed to Iraq.)
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
