Australia bars travel to Mosul ahead of planned offensive
Australia on Monday barred its citizens from travelling to Mosul in northern Iraq, in a push to combat what the government calls growing radicalisation among young Australian Muslims, some of whom have fought overseas with militant groups.
The announcement by Foreign Minster Julie Bishop comes ahead of a planned offensive, perhaps as soon as April or May, to retake Mosul with a contingent of US-trained Iraqi and Kurdish force of 20,000 to 25,000. It is the second time Australia has used a tough new law barring overseas travel to specific areas, following a ban on the province of Raqqa in Syria, a key strategic hub for Islamic State.
