Mosul Campaign Day 74, Dec 29, 2016

The second phase of the Mosul campaign officially opened on December 29. Offensive operations actually started on December 24 when several east Mosul neighborhoods were attacked. The new push involves units from the Golden, 16^th, 15^th, 9^th Divisions, along with the Federal Police, SWAT, and Hashd al-Watani, a militia backed by Turkey, which follows former Ninewa Governor Atheel Nujafi. There are three lines of attack, one from the northeast, one from the east, and another from the southeast. It appears the plan is to have the Golden Division supported by the army and Federal Police push in the middle to hold down Islamic State fighters, while the 9^th and 16^th Divisions, police and the Hashd al-Watani make a pincer move from the north and south encircling all of east Mosul. The U.S. just knocked out the last bridge crossing the Tigris River that connects west and east sides of the city to trap IS forces in the latter. It also blew up a makeshift boat bridge IS had constructed across the river. American artillery is also supporting the attack. The ISF is also shelling the city extensively in a change of tactics. Before the Iraqi forces were trying to keep civilian casualties low, but with their own losses mounting and the original push into the city having stalled it is now willing to accept the consequences.

Twenty-one neighborhoods were involved in the day’s operations, five of which were newly entered, with the other 16 having been liberated or attacked before. The Golden Division freed Quds in the east for the fourth time. IS has constantly re-infiltrate into areas, plus some have been declared liberated when they were not. The Iraqi Forces (ISF) for example found six IED factories in Gogjali an east Mosul suburb, which was entered at the very end of October, yet the insurgents were still working there two months later. During the days fighting 47 car bombs were destroyed and at least two suicide bombers killed. IS snipers also killed 15 people.

Neighborhoods In East Mosul Attacked Dec. 29, 2016

Quds – Originally attacked 11/1/16, freed 4 times

Karama – Originally attacked 10/31/16, freed 3 times

Intisar – Originally attacked 11/1/16, freed 3 times

Salam – Originally attacked 11/11/16, freed 2 times

Palestine – Originally attacked 11/13/16, freed 1 time

Hadbaa – Originally attacked 11/15/16

Nassir – Originally attacked 11/17/16

Sumer – Originally attacked 11/30/16

Wahda – Originally attacked 11/30/16

Sukar – Originally attacked 12/3/16, freed 1 time

Mithaq – Originally attacked 12/6/16

Shaimaa – Originally attacked 12/6/16

Dumiz – Originally attacked 12/6/16

Muthanna – Originally attacked 12/7/16, freed 1 time

Siha – Originally attacked 12/7/16, freed 1 time

Mazare – Originally attacked 12/19/16

Maqbara – Newly entered

Muhandis – Newly entered

Yarmja – Newly entered

Sinai – Newly entered

Madaat – Newly entered

In the north, outside of Mosul the army and Hashd al-Watani freed the towns of Tawila and Sadah. Eight car bombs were destroyed in the process. The first village had been declared liberated before on December 24.

The number of displaced people continued its upward trend. On October 20 there were just 5,640 people registered with the government and aid agencies. That jumped to 15,804 on October 27, 21,791 on November 3, 45,294 on November 10, 58,716 on November 17, 68,964 on November 24, 77,046 on December 1, 82,698 on December 8, 96,864 on December 15, 108,624 on December 22, and finally 116,292 by December 29. Those figures have fluctuated day to day as some people go back and more flee. On December 26 for example, there were 116,490 registered displaced, but that went down to 115,242 on December 27 before going back up the next two days. There are several hundred more that are homeless within the city, but have chosen to stay either because they want to be near their residences or are trapped by the fighting.

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "Army forces kill 20 IS members, destroy car bombs southeast of Nineveh," Iraqi News, 12/29/16

- “Iraqi forces killed 14 IS members east of Mosul,” Iraqi News, 12/19/16

- “Iraqi forces storm into 3 new neighborhoods in Mosul,” Iraqi News, 11/15/16

- "Joint forces liberate 2 villages, kill 70 IS members in northern Mosul," Iraqi News, 12/29/16

- "Nineveh Guards kill 9 IS members in northern Mosul," Iraqi News, 12/29/16

Agence France Presse, “Iraq forces in ‘second phase’ of east Mosul battle: commander,” 12/29/16

AIN, “Federal Police: 101 Daash killed total on the left coast of Mosul,” 12/29/16

- “International Alliance: Iraqi forces are making significant progress in Mosul,” 12/29/16

- “Killed about 200 terrorists in launching second phase of the liberation of the left coast of Mosul,” 12/29/16

- “Urgent counterterrorism forces liberate Kafat neighborhood on the left coast of Mosul,” 12/3/16

Al Alam, "Iraqi Forces Liberate Strategic ISIS-Held Regions in Nineveh Province," 12/27/16

Bas News, “Iraqi Forces Retake Two More Neighborhoods Eastern Mosul,” 12/6/16

BBC, “Mosul battle: Iraqi forces advance in fresh push,” 12/29/16

Coles, Isabel and Kalin, Stephen, "Iraqi offensive launch second phase of Mosul offensive against Islamic State," Reuters, 12/29/16

Al Forat, “24 Daash killed and destroyed eight car bombs in the south-east axis of Mosul,” 12/29/16

- “Federal Police kill about a hundred Daash and moving hundreds of feet into left coast of Mosul,” 12/29/16

- “Al Forat Announces incursion into five neighborhoods on Mosul’s left coast, and continued clearing of Tal Afar Airport,” 11/17/16

El-Ghobashy, Tamer and Nabhan, Ali, “Iraqi Forces Shift Tactics in Mosul as Forces Advance on New Fronts,” Wall Street Journal, 12/29/16

Hennessy-Fiske, Molly, “New phase begins in offensive to drive Islamic State out of key city of Mosul,” Los Angeles Times, 12/29/16

International Organization for Migration, “Displacement Tracking Matrix Emergency Tracking Factsheet #9 – Mosul Operations From 17 October To 29 December,” 12/29/16

Iraq News, "Details on the liberation operation in the remaining neighborhoods of the left coast of Mosul," 12/29/16

Iraq Oil Report, “Inside Mosul: Dec. 6, 2016,” 12/6/16

- “Inside Mosul: Dec. 7, 2016,” 12/7/16

- "Inside Mosul: Dec. 24-26, 2016," 12/28/16

- “Inside Mosul: Dec. 28, 2016,” 12/30/16

- “Inside Mosul: Dec. 29, 2016,” 12/30/16

- "Inside Mosul: Nov. 1, 2016," 11/1/16

- “Inside Mosul: Nov. 5, 2016,” 11/5/16

- “Inside Mosul: Nov. 13, Nov. 13,” 11/13/16

- “Inside Mosul: Nov. 21, 2016,” 11/21/16

Kalin, Stephen and Chmaytelli, Maher, “Iraqi forces make first push into Mosul as offensive enters third week,” Reuters, 10/31/16

Al Maalomah, “Dozens of Daash dead in day’s operations in Ninewa We Are Coming,” 12/29/16

Al Mada, “Breaking into eight districts and increases pressure on Daesh on the left coast,” 11/11/16

- “Joint forces cleared a village and kill 70 Daesh members,” 12/29/16

- “Second phase of Mosul operations will move on several axes,” 12/29/16

- “The start of the second phase operation to clear the left coast of Mosul,” 12/29/16

Al Masalah, “Freed three neighborhoods in Mosul and two villages in Tal Afar,” 11/26/16

Mostafa, Mohamed, “Iraqi army engages in ferocious fights with ISIS east of Mosul,” Iraqi News, 12/6/16

NINA, “Anti-Terrorism Forces Storm 3 Residential Neighborhoods in Mosul, kill 16 Terrorists,” 11/30/16

- “Security Forces Liberate Sukkar Area North Of Mosul,” 12/15/16

Rojkan, Mira, “Joint Forces Continue to Advance, Liberating More Areas in Mosul,” Bas News, 12/4/16

Rudaw, “ISIS ‘defense wall” runs through eastern Mosul,” 12/29/16

- "LIVE UPDATE: Iraqi forces relaunch Mosul offensive, enter new neighborhood," 12/29/16

- “US soldiers pound ISIS in Mosul with M777 artillery shells,” 12/29/16

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

- "Iraqi forces regain ground, kill 200 IS militants in new push to free Mosul," 12/29/16