U.S. may launch month-long campaign of airstrikes against IS in Iraq to retake Mosul

The United States military is considering launching a month-long campaign of airstrikes against Islamic State militants to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul before inserting ground troops, said officials.

According to Fox News, the on-the-ground fight to retake Mosul will not start until the fall.

U.S. military's Central Command official in February said that the U.S. and Iraq were considering beginning a campaign to liberate Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, by April or May.

U.S. officials, talking about the campaign, said that the Iraqi military is far from conducting a successful operation.