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| Iraq | |||
| Human Shields, Barricades Slow Iraqi Advance Into Mosul | |||
| 2016-11-06 | |||
Artillery shelling thundered across the city as snipers traded fire from rooftops and civilians emerged from the front lines waving white flags. There were fresh indications that other residents were being held back by the militants to be used as human shields. The seesawing battle highlights the challenges ahead for Iraqi forces as they press into more densely populated neighborhoods of the country's second largest city, where they will not be able to rely as much on airstrikes because of the risk of killing civilians. "Daesh is in the city center and we must be very careful as our forces advance," said Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi of the Iraqi special forces, using the Arabic acronym for IS. The special forces entered the Gogjali district, on the eastern edge of Mosul, on Tuesday, marking their first major foray into the city itself after more than two weeks of fighting in its rural outskirts. IS fought back Saturday, pushing the special forces from the southern edge of the neighborhood. Both sides fired mortar rounds and automatic weapons, while the Iraqi troops also responded with artillery. Snipers dueled from rooftops in residential areas, where most buildings are just two stories high. Dozens of civilians emerged from their homes over the course of the day, some carrying white flags. Many civilians traveling with children and elderly relatives said they had to walk more than 6 miles (10 kilometers) to reach a camp for the displaced. Just a few kilometers (miles) from the clashes, Iraqi officers coordinating airstrikes with the U.S.-led coalition watched live drone footage showing a team of IS fighters regrouping near the front line. "They're moving in front of the mosque," an Iraqi soldier said as he called in an airstrike, which moments later flattened a small building. Civilians moved into the area soon thereafter, and the soldiers said the militants appeared to have corralled them there to prevent further strikes. "Daesh have continued to hide behind civilians and facilitate harm to them," said Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition, which has been launching airstrikes to aid the Iraqi advance.
But Iraqi Cpt. Naqib Jaff, who was covered in dust after helping to hold positions east of Mosul overnight, said the air support "hasn't been enough" and that the coalition was only striking suicide car bombs. He said that in previous operations against IS-held towns and cities, civilians would be moved away from the front lines, allowing forces to advance. But he said in Mosul, his men have been ordered to keep families inside their homes. "We've never been in such a situation before. We would be fighting and there would be a family right next to us," he said. The government has ordered residents to stay inside, fearing a mass exodus from the city, which is still home to more than 1 million people. The advance of the Iraqi forces was also slowed by fortifications erected by the extremists in the more than two years since they captured the city. Trenches and berms have turned the streets and alleyways of a neighborhood once named after former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein into a maze. Satellite images show rows of concrete barricades, earthen mounds and rubble blocking key routes into the city center. The images, taken Monday by Stratfor, a U.S.-based private intelligence firm, showed that IS fighters have cleared terrain and leveled buildings around Mosul airport and a nearby former military base on the west bank of the Tigris. | |||
| Posted by:Steve White |