The Islamic State has "pulled out all the stops" to defend Mosul, according to Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the commander of the US-led coalition that is supporting the Iraqi offensive. Speaking during a 26 October press briefing, Lt Gen Townsend said the Islamic State had not withdrawn a significant number of combatants from the northern Iraqi city, as earlier reports had suggested. "He [the Islamic State] is probably sending some reinforcements and messages and supplies in, and he's moving key leaders out and we've seen him move some family members out, which I think is probably an indicator of how he thinks Mosul's going to go," he said.
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