Story highlights "We will liberate the people of Hawija, Riyadh and Rashad," Iraqi Prime Minister says

Friction between Iraq and Turkey threatens cohesion among anti-ISIS forces

(CNN) The countdown to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS has begun, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi stating on Friday that "we will go in soon."

In his first visit to nearby Kirkuk province since becoming prime minister, Abadi met with provincial and military leaders and inspected military units.

Speaking to security officials in the northern Iraqi province, Abadi said he was preparing for a large-scale operation to take back multiple cities now controlled by the terrorist group.

"We are fighting to liberate our people, and by the determination of our heroic force we will liberate the people of Hawija, Riyadh and Rashad from the terrorist gangs," Abadi said.

The Iraqi military won't be alone in this fight. The Kurdish Peshmerga, along with the Shiite paramilitary forces -- known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs) -- will join the anti-ISIS coalition, according to an official statement from the PMU.

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