Mosul Campaign Day Twenty-Four, Nov 9, 2016

More advances were announced in eastern Mosul, but it’s uncertain as to whether they will hold. The Golden Division said it freed Zahra, Samah, Karkukli, Intisar, Malaeen, Khadra, and the Abbas neighborhoods. The problem was that Samah has been declared liberated two times, Intisar and Malaeen once before. Fighting in the city has been fierce with constant counter attacks, Islamic State fighters appearing in the rear via tunnels, ambushes, etc. That has meant few areas have really been secured so far. Rudaw for example, reported that there was still a lot of sniper fire in Intisar making it unsafe.

The Iraqi army freed one other town in the north and entered another.

In Bashiqa, to the east of Mosul, which was liberated on November 8 the Peshmerga ran into 17 Islamic State fighters and killed them with others escaping.

Angry residents of Hamam al-Alil that was just cleared carried out some revenge attacks. They burned 20 homes and kicked 8 families out that they accused of being Islamic State sympathizers. This was another example of the deep divisions within Iraqi society that the insurgents have created that will take years to heal, and also disrupts the Shiite versus Sunni narrative that is mostly heard about the Iraq conflict.

In areas under its control IS continued to build its defenses, while attempting to maintain its grip on the population. The militants forced out 80 families from Faisaliya west of Mosul to plant IEDs throughout the village, and set up ambush sites. In five neighborhoods in western Mosul oil containers were set on fire in an attempt to obstruct the view of Iraqi and Coalition aircraft flying above. The group executed 20-50 people on accusations that they were collaborating with the security forces. Some of their bodies were then hung on poles to intimidate the people. The morality police were also seen out on the streets checking people. At the same time, Reuters talked with a resident who said that there were people driving and going to the markets in parts of eastern Mosul even though fighting was going on in that section of the city.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs provided new details on the displaced. The IOM’s snapshot for October 8 showed that when the Mosul operation initially started there were only around 1,900 displaced. By the time the eastern edge of Mosul was reached at the end of October there were 17,610. That then jumped to 22,224 by November 5 and then 34,860 by November 8. The U.N. had a higher figure of approximately 42,000. 70% of those were in camps. Many people were leaving the city via the eastern town of Gogjali and towards Hamam al-Alil, Shura and the Nimrod districts in the south.

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "ISIS electrocutes 30 civilians to death in central Mosul," Iraqi News, 11/9/16

Buratha News, "Recent development in the field until 21:00 Wednesday 09 11 2016," 11/9/16

Al Forat, "Announcements of the release of five neighborhoods encircling the city of Mosul," 11/9/16

Georgy, Michael, "Iraqi forces push deeper into eastern Mosul," Reuters, 11/4/16

International Organization for Migration, “IOM Iraq Emergency Tracking: Mosul Operations Data Snapshot: 8 November 2016,” 11/8/16

Iraq Oil Report, "Inside Mosul: Nov. 1, 2016," 11/1/16

- "Inside Mosul: Nov. 9, 2016," 11/9/16

Al Maalomah, "17 Daesh killed in clashes with the Peshmerga in central Bashiqah," 11/9/16

Mostafa, Mohamed, “ISIS evacuate 80 Mosul families to set up ambushes,” Iraqi News, 11/9/16

- "Senior ISIS official killed in al-Shallalat district of Mosul," Iraqi News, 11/1/16

Reuters, "Crucifixions and vice patrols show Islamic State maintains Mosul grip," 11/9/16

Rudaw, “Clashes continue in Mosul outskirts as forces enter new neighborhood,” 11/9/16

Shafaq News, "Daesh executed 20 people and hanged their bodies on traffic junction columns in Mosul," 11/9/16

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “Mosul Humanitarian Crisis, 9 November 2016,” 11/9/16

World Bulletin, “Iraqis take revenge on ISIL members’ families in Mosul,” 11/9/16

Xinhua, "Iraqi forces clear areas freed from IS in eastern Mosul," 11/9/16

- "Iraqi forces free more districts in eastern Mosul," 11/4/16