Iraq says it alone will decide on Mosul offensive

Members of the Iraqi security forces take part in training, as they prepare to fight against militants of the Islamic State, at a training camp on the outskirts of Mosul January 10, 2015. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's defence minister said on Wednesday only Baghdad will decide the time and scale of an attack recapture Mosul, after U.S. officials sent conflicting signals about the offensive.

Mosul is the largest city under the control of Islamic State insurgents who have declared a cross-border caliphate encompassing eastern Syria and parts of western and northern Iraq. Its recapture would be a pivotal victory for Baghdad.