Iraq says Mosul to be "cleansed" of al Qaeda

By Michael Holden

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Wednesday it was determined to "cleanse" its northern city of Mosul of al Qaeda fighters but its U.S. backers said a planned operation might not deal the decisive blow that Baghdad wanted.

Al Qaeda, the Sunni Islamist militants blamed for most large-scale attacks in Iraq, and other insurgents regrouped in the north after being squeezed out of their former strongholds in western Anbar province and from around Baghdad last year.

Tens of thousands of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers are taking part in operations in Iraq's northern provinces, part of a wider offensive that was launched early this month.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has called the Mosul mission a "decisive" final push against al Qaeda but Major-General Mark Hertling, commander of U.S. troops in northern Iraq, cautioned on Tuesday against describing the joint operation in such terms.

Asked if there was disagreement between the allies, Iraqi Defence Ministry spokesman Major-General Mohammed al-Askari softened the language used by Maliki.

"The goal is not only to cleanse the city but the goal after the cleansing is how to maintain all its districts and streets as secured areas clean for all citizens," he told reporters.

"The goal is not to achieve success only but ... to keep this success."

Attacks across Iraq have fallen 60 percent since last June, when 30,000 extra U.S. troops became fully deployed, but northern Iraq remains the biggest security headache.