Iraq Resumes Offensive to Retake Mosul from ISIS
Iraq has launched an operation to regain control of western Mosul from ISIS militants. During the last two days, Iraqi fighter jets conducted airstrikes targeting ISIS headquarters and communications positions
IsraelDefense
| 19/02/2017
Iraqi special forces troops in Mosul, Iraq (Photo: AP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Sunday announced the resumption of a military offensive to defeat the Islamic State group in the northern city of Mosul, in a final push to drive the militants from one of the country’s largest cities and their last major redoubt in Iraq.
“It’s a new dawn, a dawn of victories,” Abadi said in an address on state television early Sunday, as Iraqi forces, including units from the army, federal police and state-sanctioned militias advanced on Mosul from the south and west, reports The Washington Post
Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition, recaptured eastern Mosul last month after a months-long offensive, which began in October.
The operation that began on Sunday crossed the Tigris River to move into Mosul’s western district, where Iraqi commanders expect an even tougher fight, with close-quarters urban combat in narrow streets, through neighborhoods densely packed with civilians.
The offensive aims to reverse the Islamic State’s advance into cities and towns across Iraq in the summer of 2014. The latest advance on Mosul also comes at a time of rising tension between the Iraqi government and its principal military partner, the United States, over the Trump administration’s decision to halt immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq.
In the battle for eastern Mosul, Iraq’s US-trained counter-terrorism forces emerged as the most effective fighting group, though they were battered by the punishing street fights through residential neighborhoods and relentless militant counter-strikes. The presence of large numbers of civilians in Mosul has stymied the Iraqi advance, and hundreds of people have been killed by suicide bombers, mortar shells or in the crossfire.
Before the military push on Sunday, thousands of leaflets were dropped over western Mosul, announcing the impending offensive and asking residents to “receive your brothers in the armed forces and cooperate with them.”
The first military objectives include an Islamic State-controlled village and Mosul’s airport, both in the south of the city, Iraqi commanders said. On Sunday, in a reminder of the Islamic State’s continued ability to strike behind Iraqi lines, a militant detonated his suicide vest in the eastern half of the city, killing at least one person, Iraqi officials said.
Iraq has launched an operation to regain control of western Mosul from ISIS militants. During the last two days, Iraqi fighter jets conducted airstrikes targeting ISIS headquarters and communications positions
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Sunday announced the resumption of a military offensive to defeat the Islamic State group in the northern city of Mosul, in a final push to drive the militants from one of the country’s largest cities and their last major redoubt in Iraq.
“It’s a new dawn, a dawn of victories,” Abadi said in an address on state television early Sunday, as Iraqi forces, including units from the army, federal police and state-sanctioned militias advanced on Mosul from the south and west, reports The Washington Post
Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition, recaptured eastern Mosul last month after a months-long offensive, which began in October.
The operation that began on Sunday crossed the Tigris River to move into Mosul’s western district, where Iraqi commanders expect an even tougher fight, with close-quarters urban combat in narrow streets, through neighborhoods densely packed with civilians.
The offensive aims to reverse the Islamic State’s advance into cities and towns across Iraq in the summer of 2014. The latest advance on Mosul also comes at a time of rising tension between the Iraqi government and its principal military partner, the United States, over the Trump administration’s decision to halt immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq.
In the battle for eastern Mosul, Iraq’s US-trained counter-terrorism forces emerged as the most effective fighting group, though they were battered by the punishing street fights through residential neighborhoods and relentless militant counter-strikes. The presence of large numbers of civilians in Mosul has stymied the Iraqi advance, and hundreds of people have been killed by suicide bombers, mortar shells or in the crossfire.
Before the military push on Sunday, thousands of leaflets were dropped over western Mosul, announcing the impending offensive and asking residents to “receive your brothers in the armed forces and cooperate with them.”
The first military objectives include an Islamic State-controlled village and Mosul’s airport, both in the south of the city, Iraqi commanders said. On Sunday, in a reminder of the Islamic State’s continued ability to strike behind Iraqi lines, a militant detonated his suicide vest in the eastern half of the city, killing at least one person, Iraqi officials said.
