At least 1,200 Iraq personnel killed in Mosul operation: coalition

At least 1,200 Iraqi security personnel were killed during the operation to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State group, the US-led coalition against the jihadists said on Friday. "The October 2016 to July 2017 battle to liberate Mosul reflects a significant sacrifice by our Iraqi partners, who lost 1,200-1,500 personnel in action, with an approximate 8,000 more wounded," the coalition said in a statement. It did not provide a breakdown of casualties among the various forces that took part in the grueling battle. The July recapture of Mosul, a city that IS seized more than three years before, was the biggest defeat the jihadists had been dealt since the war to push them back began. Iraqi forces often release figures for IS fighters they say they have killed, but are extremely reticent about their own losses. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other support have since regained most of the territory they lost.