BAGHDAD -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has arrived in the northern city of Mosul to check on his army's campaign against al-Qaida in its last remaining major stronghold. Iraq's army is fighting al-Qaida in Mosul as part of operation "Lion's Roar." The operation has been planned and carried out by government forces. Regional Governor Duraid Kashmola says al-Maliki flew into Mosul Wednesday. Mosul is considered the last important urban staging ground for al-Qaida in Iraq after losing its strongholds in Baghdad and other areas during the so-called U.S. troop surge last year. Al-Maliki has been promising a crackdown since last January.
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