The Islamic State is in full collapse in east Mosul with 11
neighborhoods falling on January 17. The Golden Division freed all of them
along with the Great
Mosque, the Presidential
Palace, and the Ninewa Hotel. In the north, the army took the Kindi military base.
The entrances
to all five bridges across the Tigris River were secured as well. There was
still fighting in the Ghabat area. The
mayor of Mosul Hussein al-Hajem said
there were only 4-7 areas in east Mosul still under IS control. Iraqi officials
are always given to exaggeration and have claimed that almost all of the Left
Coast side of the city was taken. Those statements have finally been realized
with roughly 90% of eastern Mosul occupied.
The press was full of other examples of IS faltering. The
Golden Division claimed
that the insurgents didn’t even put up a fight for the neighborhoods in
northeast Mosul it took during the day. IS fighters were seen fleeing
across the Tigris in boats taking civilians with them as human shields so that
the ISF would not fire on them. In west Mosul the militants were forcing
people to join as fighters, and taking family members as hostages to enforce
its draft. The big question is whether this will carry over to the next phase
in the battle.
After all of east Mosul is liberated there will likely be a
pause to rearm and refit and then an assault will be made across the waterway
into the western Right Bank. Preparations are already being made. 5 pontoon
bridges arrived at the
Qayara base south of Mosul to be used to cross the Tigris. U.S. advisers have
also taken up positions
in four areas of east Mosul. That will provide forward operating bases to
further assist the Iraqi forces with air strikes, artillery and missile fire,
intelligence collection, etc.
SOURCES
Adel, Loaa, "CTS liberates 2 more areas, storm Jazair
neighborhood in eastern Mosul," Iraqi News, 1/17/17
- "CTS liberate areas of Suez and Sanharib, station near
Choser River," Iraqi News, 1/17/17
- "Security forces recapture 3 districts, Great Mosque in
central Mosul," Iraqi News, 1/17/17
AIN, “Urgent anti-terrorism commander: 48 hours separate us
from completing our tasks in the left coast of Mosul,” 1/17/17
Buratha News, “Recent developments in the field in the
process of liberating Mosul until 14:50 Tuesday 17 01 2017,” 1/17/17
- “Recent developments in the field in the process of
liberating Mosul until 16:00 Tuesday 17 01 2017,” 1/17/17
Kalin, Stephen, “Iraqis who escaped Islamic State grapple
with trauma,” Reuters, 1/17/17
Al Mada, “Saadi: We killed 387 Daash in Mosul within the
last 74 hours and we will liberate the left coast soon,” 1/17/17
- Saadi: one neighborhood separates the counter terrorism
forces from the complete liberation of left coast of Mosul,” 1/17/17
Mostafa, Mohamed, “Iraqi forces push into IS-held pocket in
Mosul: military,” Iraqi News, 1/17/17
- “IS kill mother, child escaping eastern Mosul, force
civilians to fight in west,” Iraqi News, 1/17/17
- “Only 4-7 districts left to recapture eastern Mosul,
militants bodies litter Tigris,” Iraqi News, 1/17/17
- “U.S. forces erect 4 military bases in Mosul preparing for
new combat plans,” Iraqi News, 1/17/17
- "Updated: Iraqi forces recapture 3 neighborhoods in eastern
Mosul," Iraqi News, 1/17/17
New Sabah, "The joint forces on the verge of freeing the left
coast of Mosul within days," 1/17/17
Reuters, "Iraqi Forces Push Into IS-held Pocket in Mosul,"
1/17/17
Rudaw, "Iraqi forces control all five bridges in Mosul, ISIS
'nearly defeated' in east," 1/17/17
Xinhua, “Iraqi forces in near full control of IS stronghold
in eastern Mosul,” 1/17/17
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