The long awaited battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State/ISIL/ISIS is proving difficult for the Iraqi army. The Daily Caller reports: Iraqi troops once again fled from a key battle for Mosul, the Islamic State’s headquarters in northern Iraq, as they began a long awaited offensive late last month to retake the city. “The Iraqi Army commenced an assault on ISIS strongholds around Mosul, but when ISIS fired back, the Iraqi Army ran away and the assaults ended,” a western defense specialist based in Iraq told Fox News. “So now they are regrouping and rethinking their next options.” When ISIS overran the city in June, 2014, Iraqi troops were criticized for dropping their advanced, American-financed weapons behind, and running away. ISIS is believed to be holding thousands of Christian, Yazidi and Kurdish captives and sex-slaves in the city with a population of more than one million. After months of preparation, Iraqi troops began a highly anticipated offensive on the city last month and successfully retook a few outer villages that could be used to stage further attacks. But they quickly turned back to regroup in an obvious setback the army is casting as an unexpected need for reinforcements. “These forces aren’t [...]