One million civilians caught in crossfire as offensive begins to evict ISIS

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Rudaw:

Hannah Lynch

Oct. 16 2016

 

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A 30,000-strong Iraqi and Kurdish force has launched its offensive against an estimated 3,000 to 4,500 ISIS militants in Mosul, where approximately 1 million civilians are caught in the middle, eager to be freed from the brutal rule of the self-proclaimed Caliphate.

 

Estimates of the number of ISIS militants in Mosul have steadily dropped over the months. In early March, Col. Christopher Garver, spokesperson for the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, estimated that there were less than 10,000 militants in the city. More recently, another coalition spokesperson Col. John Dorrian said there are between 3,000 and 4,500 ISIS fighters in Mosul, both foreign and local. Some have been killed - coalition airstrikes have targeted ISIS leadership in Mosul; 13 were killed in September alone, Dorrian announced at the end of the month.

 

Many ISIS leaders have fled the city with their families in anticipation of the military offensive, Iraq’s then minister of defence, Khalid al-Obeidi, said in July, noting that most were going to Syria. Others have deserted the militant group and fled, with Turkey the most popular destination. “This very morning, three ISIS fighters have fled to Turkey,” the Mosul Eye, a blogger in Mosul and one of the few sources of information from the city, told Rudaw English earlier this month. They were local recruits, he added.

 

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Battle Begins to Expel ISIS From Mosul, Where 213 US Troops Died During Iraq War

(CNSNews.com) – The most important battle yet in the campaign to dislodge ISIS jihadists from territory in Iraq and Syria began early Monday, when Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the offensive to retake Mosul was underway.

 

Iraq’s second-largest city, seized by ISIS more than two years ago, offers a major challenge to the U.S.-trained Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga fighters who comprise the majority of the 30,000-strong force arrayed against the terrorists.

 

In a battle that military officials and security analysts predict could take months rather than weeks, the urban terrain offers advantages to an enemy that has had many months to prepare for the expected assault. Tunnels designed both as staging posts for attacks and as escape routes, booby traps and built-up areas ideal for ambushes and suicide attacks are among likely factors as the offensive progresses.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMSIysp9CWg

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The siege of Mosul begins

Bill Roggio & Amir Toumaj

October 16, 2016

 

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The forces in the fragmented anti-Islamic State alliance, a mix of Iraqi special forces and regular troops, the Kurdish Peshmerga, and Sunni and Shiite militias who number a total of 60,000, are each positioning themselves to reap the benefits of a post-Islamic State Mosul. The most dangerous element among these forces is the network backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization of Shiite, Sunnis, Christian, and Yazidi militias formed following the fatwa of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani in 2014 to drive the Islamic State from Iraq, is controlled and dominated by IRGC-backed proxies. In an effort to rein in these militias, Prime Minister Abadi has created a parallel military organization for the PMF in the security apparatus outside of the command structure. However, the PMF remains riddled with Iranian-supported militias, and its key leaders are beholden to IRGC-Qods Force’s commander, Qassem Soleimani.

 

These forces and their Iranian advisers will participate in the operation for Mosul, as affirmed by Harakat al Nujaba head Akram al Kabi. Soleimani is expected to play “a major role” in the operation for Mosul, a PMF spokesman said two months ago, though this has not been confirmed yet.

 

The PMF alongside the Kurdish Peshmerga have reportedly agreed to clear and hold areas in the outskirts of the city, while Iraqi Security Forces backed by US airstrikes lead the brunt of the operation to take the city. This was implemented to assuage local Sunni Arab population concerns about vengeful retribution and abuse from the militias, though there is no guarantee and this has not stopped Shiite militias from abusing the local populations attempting to flee an area, such as Fallujah this past summer.

 

Just last week, Qais Khazali, a designated terrorist who leads IRGC-backed Asaib Ahl al Haq, called for Shiite holy war and vowed that Mosul would be revenge for battle of Karbala 14 centuries ago, the defining event that sealed the Sunni-Shiite schism in which the third Shiite Imam Husayn was killed.

 

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Mosul: Voices from city as battle nears
10/17/16

As the Iraqi army begins its fight to retake control of Mosul, thousands of civilians are trapped inside.

Residents have faced brutality and danger living under so-called Islamic State (IS), but they may face an even greater risk in the coming weeks should they try to leave the city. Getting first-hand accounts from the city is difficult but journalists and NGOs reporting in the area say the city is virtually sealed off and people are unable to escape.

The BBC spoke to Sound and Picture, a citizen journalists' group with reporters in Mosul, which said IS had threatened to shoot any civilians trying to leave the city. They said IS had hung 20 heads at the Mosul city gate as "blood propaganda", a warning for soldiers or citizens not to enter or leave the city.

According to the group, IS fighters conducted house-to-house raids on Sunday night to confiscate mobile phones and record internet usage, making any communication with people outside the city extremely dangerous.

 

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Iraqi Advance Into Mosul Exceeds Expectations

 

The Iraqi Army is advancing into Mosul faster than expected, causing jihadist defenders to brace for defeat.

 

“The Mosul operation is proceeding ahead of schedule due to the deterioration of ISIS defenses,” Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Gen. Othman Al-Ghanimi said Tuesday.

 

Islamic State terrorists have destroyed their administrative buildings in the city, including offices containing passports and tax records.

 

“Daesh has been burning its financial and commercial files in its hisbah centers and ‘sharia courts’ in central Mosul to prevent them from falling into the hands of Iraqi security agencies,” according to Ali Sada, editor of Daesh Daily. Local sources told Sumaria TV on Tuesday that ISIS burned down its headquarters in Mosul.

 

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iraqi-advance-mosul-exceeds-expectations/