|
Mosul Offensive News
Iraq sends reinforcements to eastern Mosul after ISIS attack[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] An Iraqi commander says reinforcements have been sent to eastern djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... after a major ISIS counterattack drove troops back last week, further slowing a nearly two-month-old offensive to retake the city. Major General Najim al-Jabouri said that Federal Police and Iraqi army units have moved from the southern front to the city’s east, where most of the fighting has been concentrated in recent weeks. On hold Iraqi commanders had hoped to push up from the south to take Mosul’s international airport, but those plans appear to be on hold. Iraqi troops were driven back last week within hours of seizing the al-Salam hospital in eastern Mosul, which ISIS had been using as a base. More than 20 soldiers were killed before special forces opened a corridor for them to retreat. Iraqi forces counterattack against ISIS in eastern Mosul Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Anti-Terrorism Directorate announced on Saturday killing seven members of the Islamic State, after repulsing their attack using booby-trapped vehicles and motorcycles, in eastern Mosul. Commander of the Anti-Terrorism’s 3rd Special Operations Directorate Sami al-Aredi, said in a press statement, “Troops of the Anti-Terrorism Directorate repulsed, this morning, a fierce attack launched by ISIS using a car bomb and a number of suicide bombers on Hayy al-Bareed, in eastern Mosul.” “The [Anti-Terrorism] forces managed to kill seven suicide bombers, as well as detonating the vehicle before reaching the security forces,” Aredi added. Furthermore, Aredi revealed that the suicide bombers included foreign members, who attacked the security forces using booby-trapped motorcycles. Iraqi warbirds destroy munitions depots in Ninevah Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) We Are Coming, Nineveh Operations Command announced on Saturday, that the Iraqi F16 fighter jets destroyed explosives factories and caches of weapons in Mosul. Commander of operations, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, said in a press statement, “Iraqi F16 fighter jets carried out an air strike on selected targets in the city of Mosul.” Yarallah also added that the air strikes resulted in the destruction of three explosives factories and three caches containing different types of weapons. Noteworthy, international coalition and Iraqi Aviation are carrying out several air strikes targeting the Islamic State group, within the battle that was launched in 17 October 2016, by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, to liberate the province of Nineveh. Iraqi forces capture 2 neighborhoods in Mosul Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) We Are Coming, Nineveh Operations Command declared on Saturday liberating two neighborhoods in eastern side of Mosul. Commander of Operations, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, said in a press statement, “Troops of the Anti-Terrorism Directorate managed to free the entire neighborhoods of al-Qadisiyah and al-Morour, in the eastern side of the city of Mosul.” Yarallah further added that the security forces also raised the Iraqi flag over the buildings of the two neighborhoods, in addition to inflicting heavy human and material losses on the terrorists. Yesterday, Commander of the Anti-Terrorism Directorate, Major General Abdel Ghani al-Asadi announced finishing the first phase of the battle to liberate Nineveh. Iraqi forces continue to gain yardage in Mosul [ARA News] Duhok – Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Units on Saturday captured two new districts in the war-ravaged city of Mosul in Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh Governorate. “Counter-Terrorism Units liberated the districts of al-Murur and Qadissiyah al-Oula in Mosul,” the Iraqi Army General Command said in an official statement. “ISIS suffered heavy losses under heavy bombardment by our forces on Saturday,” it added. Also on Saturday, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) seized control of three neighborhoods in the eastern part of Mosul city after fierce clashes with ISIS fighters. “The ISF have secured the neighborhoods of al-Adil, Taamim and al-Eylam,” the Iraqi General Command said. Although the Islamic State’s (ISIS) militants have shown heavy resistance in defense of Mosul, the Iraqi forces have been able to continue their progress in the operation. Mosul is the Islamic State’s de facto capital in Iraq. The group took over the city in June 2014, and immediately afterward announced its self-proclaimed Caliphate. On October 17, the Iraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmerga launched a major operation to liberate Mosul city and its surroundings. According to military sources, more than 2,200 ISIS militants have been killed in the operation so far. Supported by the US-led coalition, the Iraqi forces have so far captured some 28 neighborhoods in the war-torn city since the launch of Mosul operation, forcing the Islamic State back towards the downtown core. Informed sources inside Mosul told ARA News that the Iraqi forces currently control approximately 50% of Mosul city, beside tightening the siege on the ISIS-held downtown districts. Human Shields Haidar al-Khalidi, a journalist inside Mosul, told ARA News that ISIS is impeding the army’s advance by using civilians as human shields. This tactic has “prevented the army from using its heavy weapons during the clashes.” “ISIS is using residential buildings as bases for its attacks on the Iraqi forces. Many civilians are located in Mosul’s ISIS-held districts. [They’re] being used as human shields,” al-Khalidi reported. According to Michael Stephens, the head of the Royal United Services Institute–Qatar, there are a few reasons, mostly tactical decisions taken early on in the campaign, which have led to too many civilians being present in areas of heavy fighting. This has severely limited the ability of the Iraqi forces to use artillery and call in air power. Resistance “Additionally, ISIS militants are well dug in, moving in amongst houses and launching traps and huge numbers of suicide bombers to slow down the advance. To date, ISIS has utilized some 600 suicide bombers to defend Mosul which gives them tactical advantage in small enclosed areas,” Stephens told ARA News. “There is little doubt that the fight ISIS has put up is more than was expected. The problem is made worse by the lack of available forces that can successfully close the noose around Mosul and get ISIS to divert resources away from defending the eastern side of the city,” he said. “As such, it’s placing undue pressure on those units operating in the eastern neighbourhoods of Mosul, hugely slowing down the advance,” he added. Nicholas Heras, a Washington-based Middle East researcher at the Centre for a New American Security, agreed with Stephens. “ISIS fighters are providing far greater resistance inside the city than the Coalition expected,” Heras told ARA News. “The Coalition, Baghdad, and the KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government] will also be very cautious with the campaign plan to take the more densely populated districts of Mosul, fearing an even greater outflow of refugees from the city,” he said. “With winter approaching, the humanitarian pressure on the KRG and other areas of Nineveh and further into Iraq could be catastrophic,” Heras concluded. Posted by: Fred 2016-12-11 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=475431 |