Posted on 01/18/2017 3:51:48 AM PST by elhombrelibre
As the liberation of Mosul from the "Islamic State" group gathers pace, Iraq's second city has been coming back to life with remarkable speed. DW's Florian Neuhof reports from neighborhoods of freshly shaven men.
On a street just off the main road leading to the last neighborhoods in eastern Mosul still under "Islamic State" (IS) control, people throng around produce-laden handcarts. Mortar rounds come crashing into the area with alarming frequency, exploding with a sharp, dry bang. The insurgents have made a habit of bombarding areas no longer under their control and consider anyone who failed to retreat with them infidels worthy of death. The shoppers pay no heed as they stock up at the market. Fruit, vegetables, eggs and cooking gas feature prominently on the shopping list: cheap essentials for the city's cash-strapped inhabitants.
The Iraqi military launched its campaign to end IS reign in Mosul on October 17, and the first troops entered the city on the east bank of the Tigris early in November. Since then, the front line has rolled through the eastern half of Mosul, exposing its inhabitants to the fighting while pushing back the insurgents. Since the start of the year, reinforcements and new tactics have quickened the pace of the offensive, and a string of neighborhoods have been liberated in quick succession.
Among them is Zuhour, where the street market sprang to life within days of the liberation. As the government and international aid agencies have failed to deliver sufficient supplies to the city, food, fuel and other goods are brought in and sold by merchants. A supply chain leading from the nearby Kurdish region right into the heart of the city was swiftly created, reconnecting Mosul with the world outside IS influence after over two years.
(Excerpt) Read more at dw.com ...
I wish US neighborhoods could be freed from the refugees from the crazy countries.
We had Iraq settled. Obama screwed up.
Absolutely. He owns the rise of ISIS and Putin. He denied both. He called ISIS a Junior Varsity team. He told Putin’s lackey that he’d have more flexibility after the election. Obama took the last tanks out of Germany in 2013. Putin rewarded him by breaking bad all over Europe. Putin is still stirring the pot in much of Europe.
Probably they can.
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