Posted on 07/10/2017 10:24:07 AM PDT by GonzoII
(MOSUL, Iraq) — Iraq’s prime minister celebrated with troops on Sunday after they drove Islamic State militants from some of their last strongholds in Mosul, even as heavy fighting continued in a small portion of the Old City neighborhood.
Iraqi state TV reported that Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul to declare victory over IS in the more than eight-month old operation to drive the militants out.
Al-Iraqia TV quoted al-Abadi as saying he “congratulates the fighters and the people on the big victory” in the key city, even as fighting continued in pockets.
Iraq launched the operation to retake Mosul in October. IS now controls less than a square kilometer (mile) of territory in Mosul’s Old City, but is using human shields, suicide bombers and snipers in a fight to the death.
Lt. Gen. Jassim Nizal of the army’s 9th Division said his forces achieved “victory” in their sector, after a similar announcement by the militarized Federal Police. His soldiers danced to patriotic music atop tanks even as airstrikes sent plumes of smoke into the air nearby.
The militants captured Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, in a matter of days in the summer of 2014. Nizal acknowledged that many of his men were among those who fled the city at that time in a humiliating defeat for the country’s armed forces.
“Some things happened here, that’s true,” he said. “But we have come back.”
Much of Mosul’s Old City and surrounding areas have been devastated by months of grueling urban combat. On Sunday a line of tired civilians filed out of the Old City on foot, past the carcasses of destroyed apartment blocks lining the cratered roads.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Sadly, Mosul is now a pile of rubble.
Give it to the Kurds?
“drove” them. Why not shoot them? No need to herd them up again next week.
they made a desert and called it peace
“they drove Islamic State militants from some of their last strongholds in Mosul”
“some”?
This was the biggest battle of the last decade, and the biggest urban battle since Stalingrad.
ISIS lost its biggest jewel, but its losses have been mounting on several fronts - recruiting has virtually ended, revenues are drying up, headcount is dropping by around a hundred per day, and key leaders are being lost at a significant pace. Not widely reported is that the remaining ISIS elements in BenGhazi Libya were just routed about a week ago as well.
Everyone now expects them lose, which is helpful. If they could not hold Mosul, how could they hold smaller things? After Raqqa in Syria falls (a tenth the size of Mosul), the remaining ISIS strongholds get smaller - Tal Afar and Hawija in Iraq, Deir ez Zour and Mayadin in Syria. the last stand will likely be in the Euphrates River Valley in Syria, or at the Iraqi/Syrian Border at al Qaim/AbuKamal.
There will probably be continued significant military operations the rest of this year (likely longer) to clear those areas and turn control over to non-ISIS groups. as long as ISIS controls any land, they can still technically (under sharia) claim a caliphate.
Thanks for that update!
At one point, ISIS had a major presence in Libya, which they viewed as their alternate HQ, in case Iraq/Syria fell. They controlled significant oil production there, and started flowing the bulk of their new recruits there when it began to look like they could lose their territory in Syria/Iraq.
When the new Central Command (CENTCOM) Commanding General, Joe Votel took over in March 2016, he quickly coordinated a combined attack on ISIS by local allies on all fronts (including Libya), and ramped up American air and Special Operations several fold. It was like night and day. When Trump came in, the gloves came off even more, with the adoption of a formal strategy of annihilation being adopted.
The ISIS oil racket in Libya is busted, and our local surrogates are crushing them there.
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