On 9 February 2015, John Allen, the U.S. coordinator for the international coalition against ISIL, stated that the Iraqi Army, backed by Coalition airstrikes, will launch a ground offensive "in the weeks ahead" to regain the territory lost to ISIL, including the city of Mosul.[21] On the same day, Coalition sources reported that the Peshmerga had recaptured additional territory near Mosul.[22]