Iraqi Defence minister Khalid Al-Obaidi (L) talks with Athil al-Nujaifi, the governor of Mosul (C), and one of Iraq’s Vice-President Osama al-Nujaifi (R) as they visit a Kurdish Peshmerga position on the frontline in the Gwer district, 40 kilometres south of Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq on January 9, 2015 as they continue to battle Islamic State (IS) group fighters. IS spearheaded a major offensive in June that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, including significant parts of Anbar. AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED