A walk around Mosul | Colonel Cassad
The humanitarian situation is catastrophic – cleaning of the bodies will take several weeks, debris removal, clearance and cleaning of unexploded ordnance will take several months
The humanitarian situation is catastrophic – cleaning of the bodies will take several weeks, debris removal, clearance and cleaning of unexploded ordnance will take several months
One of the key shopping areas of Mosul. Before and after the capture of Mosul by the Caliphate and American “precision” bombing. And remember, about a year ago, the Western media screaming about “the crimes of Assad in Aleppo.”
The Prime Minister of Iraq, arrived in Mosul said that Mosul is completely liberated from the Caliphate, and the battle for Mosul is completed.
This is not true – the militants continue to hold a small part of the old city on the Western Bank of the Tigris, where they continue to resist the Iraqi army and police. It is clear that there is not much time left, and desire of Iraqis to kill militants in Mosul, obviously, but from a formal point of view, the battle is not over yet and today we are witnessing the second false start with the celebration of the liberation of Mosul – the previous one was on 29 June. However, the end of the battle of Mosul is not far away.
On the banks of the Tigris eliminated one of the last high-ranking commanders of the Caliphate in Western Mosul Abu Hafsa al-Saud, who was a native of Saudi Arabia. This character tried to escape from the compression ring not wanting to prematurely go to a meeting with houris, where he massively sent his less pragmatic colleagues. Either he wanted to sneak along the West Bank of the Tigris, or to cross to the Eastern part of the city and get lost there, and perhaps subsequently to participate in the organization of the terrorist war in the liberated from ISIS in Mosul. But something went wrong – on the banks of the Tigris he met the team that accelerated his delivery to hell.
According to statements by Iraqi military, in the ruins of the old city are still about 300 militants, who through the use of snipers, mines, and rare bombers, trying to delay the moment of full liberation of Mosul. Occasionally even go to the counter, taking advantage of the relaxed part of the Iraqi military after the announcement of the victory.
However, it is understandable why the Iraqis are ready to share the joy. For them, the capture of Mosul is the end of a long blood test and the hard-won victory, which has long been waiting for the exhausted people of Iraq. The lesson of the ruins of the mosque of al-Nuri is a very symbolic moment for the war against the Caliphate in Iraq – the Iraqi army came to the place where the Caliphate as a state. And now, she is actively involved in its liquidation.It is quite obvious that they really want to declare victory, so are more in a hurry, although the final outcome of the battle has long been obvious – the tenacity of fighters only prolonged the resistance, but couldn’t change the determined outcome.
When the assault began, it was assumed that the militants would not make it to the end of June, but nevertheless, the city continued fierce street fighting accompanied by a massive destruction and more victims among militants and Iraqi military and civilians. It is Obvious that the assault on Mosul was one of the most bloody battles of the last decades.
The storm itself still comes down to the painfully long sweeps of neighborhoods in the North-Western part of the city with slow but inexorable progress. In the optimistic scenario, this will be done by May. In the pessimistic one, it will until July be delayed (repeating the scenario of Sirte, the last pocket of resistance on the coast was finished after 3 months), although with the exhaustion of ammunition and explosives for the attacks of suicide bombers, the resistance of the fighters will weaken.
Overall, the painful removal of the militants in Mosul will take some time, and of course not without more losses. But in the end Iraq and it will survive, but for the Caliphate the loss of the of Mosul will be a terrible blow, and it’s not only the value of the city, which administratively has long been cut off from the Caliphate and its quasi-state system is actually isolated.The fact that after Stripping the city and district of tal afar, released a large number of troops that will be used for operations in Western Iraq that promises in the second half of 2017 big problems for the Iraqi parts of the Caliphate. So fighters can certainly amuse themselves by bragging about the losses of the Iraqis and the company, but it only underlines a simple truth – the Caliphate as a quasi-state structure will suffer inevitable defeat, crushed by superior opponents, but the way will be a long and blood will be shed fairly. The battle for Mosul is more than demonstrated. On the order of Raqqa.
Islamic State members raised alert in their stronghold town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, after a senior aide to supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was assassinated.
Russia in this situation, advocates of Assad, bargaining for a new territorial gains in Northern Syria and striving to achieve interaction between Assad and the Kurds to pull the Kurds out of a too strong alliance with the United States. At this stage, the Kurds have already passed the Syrian army three villages to the southwest of Manbij, but fully buffer zone is still not formed. While to the West of Manbij fighting continues between the Kurds and the FSA, where both parties bear the loss in killed, wounded and prisoners. There are losses in clashes between the SAA and FSA.
Despite the losses of the Iraqis and the stubborn resistance of the enemy, the strategic position of militant groups in the Mosul area continues to deteriorate. Yes, they cause significant losses to those advancing and defend to the death, but they cannot reverse the current trend, and in March, or at least, in early April West of Mosul should be freed. At the moment there are according to various estimates from 550 to 750 thousand people still in the city.
Remarkable photos from under the Iraqi tal afar. From the standpoint of Pro-Iranian Shiite militia “Hashd al-SHAABI” filmed the dumping of a shipment (container on the parachute) in a village controlled by the Caliphate.
The Iraqi forces (ISF) have constantly talked about a frontal assault on west Mosul across the Tigris River, but now it might be done on two fronts. The Joint Operations Command announced that all preparations for west Mosul were completed. It said engineers would construct bridges to bring vehicles into west Mosul. Now new reports are emerging of another attack, which would not require coming under direct fire while crossing the Tigris.
There was quite a remarkable report focuses on the updated hybrid strategy of Iran in the Syrian war. This topic is quite narrowly covered in the media, and interested Americans to demonize Iran itself is quite clear, given the fact that the new White House administration has already identified Iran among the main opponents of the US in the region. However, the report has many interesting points.
Video of DAESH drones for bombardment of Iraqi forces from the air.
The scheme is not new, a similar method was used by “Hezbollah” in the battle for Aleppo.
By 24 January the forces of the Iraqi army and security forces, almost completely occupied the Eastern neighborhoods of Mosul. “Black” continue the resistance only in Rashidi North of the city. Full capture of district business 1-2 days. Part of the 1st infantry and 9th armored division of the Iraqi army crushed the last pockets of organized resistance in the Central districts adjacent to the river, the forces of the police special forces are now conducting a sweep there. The approaches to the destroyed bridges over the Tigris are entirely controlled by Iraqi security forces.On January 22, started to assemble the pontoon bridges for the crossing of the Tiger to begin the assault on the Western part of Mosul. It is expected that the enemy continues stubborn resistance in a dense housing development, which will impede the use of aircraft and artillery. They should expect a new wave of attacks by car bombs.
In three days of operations that began Jan. 18, coalition forces struck 90 watercraft and three barges on the Tigris River in Mosul, Iraq, U.S. Central Command officials reported today.
For the first time after the battle in eastern Mosul, ISIS leader Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi interfered by ordering the evacuation of the ISIS militants in the area, a source told al-Sumaria News.
The unidentified source said Baghdadi has assigned Arab and non-Iraqi commanders to transfer the militants by boat through Tigris River to the right bank of Mosul.
There was continued talk of the new phase of the Mosul campaign in Iraqi papers. General Fazi Barwari of the Golden Division made the bold prediction that all of east Mosul would be freed by the end of the year. Only about 40% of that section of the city is currently occupied so claiming they would go through the remaining 60% in six days is a little unbelievable. A member of the Hasdh al-Watani, run by former Ninewa governor Atheel Nujafi and backed by Turkey, told the press that the new campaign was supposed to start on December 24, but bad weather pushed it back.