Erstellt am: 20. 2. 2015 - 14:34 Uhr

Mosul: "...will be a hard push"

Reality Check: The fight for Mosul, women and the Islamic State, Greece talks in final day, unaccompanied minor refugees, House of Responsibility

According to a senior US military official, an operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul will be launched in April or May.

That such plans are underway is hardly surprising. The US has been working hard to train Iraqi forces, and it's reported that around 25,000 men are being prepared for combat. What is surprising is that anyone is giving a timeline. Surely a crucial element in military strategy is surprise. The announcement now will give ISIS/Daish fighters several weeks to prepare to defend Mosul, a city which is of major strategic and psychological importance to both sides.

http://www.epc.eu/team_details.php?hr_id=7&dept_id=3

The Mosul dam and its hydro-electric power plant on the Tigris river is a key strategic point

However, the unnamed official also said that the operation could be postponed if the Iraqi forces are not ready. So far, despite massive resources spent on training and equipping them, the Iraqi military remains unreliable and disorganised.

International strategic analyst, Paul Beaver, explains why, despite the difficulties, the operation may succeed - and if it doesn't, the consequences could be very grave indeed.

Women and the Islamic State

Political Islam expert, Katherine Brown, explains what attracts some women to the Islamic State group.

Deadline day for Greece

Eurozone finance ministers are at the deadline to reach a deal on Greece's bail-out. Fabian Zuleeg of the European Policy Centre discusses the possible outcomes.

Unaccompanied minor refugees

Katharina Glawischnig of the UMF (Arbeitsgruppe unbegleitete minderjährige Flüchtling) describes the problems caused by the lack of suitable places for unaccompanied under-age people in Austria.

House of Responsibility

The project that is aiming to use Hitler's birthplace as a meeting point for people to explore tolerance and equality.

FM4 Reality Check

Monday to Friday from 12.00 to 14.00, and after the show via Podcast or fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.