The Islamic State made another attack upon the Hashd in
western Ninewa. This time they assaulted
the area around Ain Hassan.
The press is reporting less on the insurgents’ attacks
inside Mosul. After the huge increase in such incidents over the last month the
drop in coverage may be due to government pressure on the media. Baghdad does
not like negative news about the war and security and has gone after sources as
a result. Previously they ended embedded reporters in the Mosul battle, and
said they would not allow journalists near the frontlines when west Mosul is
attacked.
There were several stories about the impending fight for the
other half of Mosul. The government’s narrative has been that the Islamic State
is defeated. A source told New
Sabah that there was a major breakdown within the group. Its war minister
was killed and it was executing people as it became more paranoid about its
hold on the city. Another source said that the insurgents were suffering from
shortages of fighters and weapons. Reuters
on the other hand noted the preparations IS was making and how difficult the
coming campaign would be. IS is digging tunnels underneath the city, and
cutting holes in walls between buildings to facilitate their fighters moving
place from to place without being seen by the Iraqi forces. They have also cut
sniper holes in buildings along the Tigris River. Coalition aircraft and
artillery are attempting to take out their car bomb and IED shops, which will
be a crucial part of the group’s defenses. An army colonel from the 9th
Division told Reuters that he believed west Mosul would be more difficult than
the east. There are narrow streets that will limit the use of tanks and armored
vehicles for example. The ISF plans on attacking on multiple fronts to try to
stretch out the Islamic State’s fighters. The Federal Police for example are
aiming to take the Mosul airport in the south while the Golden Division will
attack across the Tigris. At first the latter was believed to be a frontal
assault on west Mosul, but the crossing may actually come further south. A
spokesman for the U.S. Coalition Colonel John Dorrian repeated the
belief that west Mosul will be a very hard fight. At the same time IS is cut
off from its other forces in Iraq and Syria and can’t bring in new fighters. In
the end west Mosul will probably be much like east Mosul and Fallujah and
Ramadi and Tikrit before it. The militants will put up a tough defense, but
once their frontlines are penetrated they will collapse.
A Hashd commander went after the U.S.,
Turkey and Vice President Osama Nujafi for the delay in taking all of Mosul. He
blamed American and Turkish interference for not liberating the entire city. He
also said that VP Nujafi does not represent the people of Mosul, and that
Turkish forces were inside the city. These have been common themes amongst
pro-Iranian factions of the Hashd. They have rejected the help the U.S. led
Coalition has offered Iraq because they are aligned with Tehran. They also
believe that Turkey is interfering with Iraqi politics and violating its
sovereignty with its bases in northern Iraq. Finally, Nujafi is aligned with
Turkey making him a target as well.
There were more stories about life in east Mosul. The Los
Angeles Times went to several neighborhoods in the city. In one there were
no aid agencies because it was considered too dangerous due to IS attacks. In
another people were digging wells to try to find water. On the eastern
outskirts of Mosul things appeared to be better. There food was being trucked
in from Irbil to be sold in markets. Agence
France Presse (AFP) talked with a family that left Mosul for a displaced
camp. That was because a drone killed the father. The wife was also worried
about IS sleeper cells carrying out attacks. A manager at a displaced camp told
AFP that when east Mosul was initially freed families began leaving immediately,
but now around 40 came back because of the increasing violence. A community
activist also complained about some Iraqi forces being unprofessional. Finally,
a Ninewa councilman complained
that IS was spreading rumors amongst the populace to scare them. He said that
militants were telling people that there were suicide bombers in their midst. These
are more than rumors however as there has been a recent wave of suicide and car
bombings. Living in east Mosul is difficult, and becoming more so. There are
hundreds of people moving in and out of the city. People are trying to put
their lives together but there are no real services, and the government and aid
agencies only have a limited presence. There has been a dramatic increase in IS
operations as well causing more and more casualties. Things will remain
complicated for the foreseeable future.
Reuters
went to an orphanage that used to be run by the Islamic State in the Zuhur
district of east Mosul. Most of the children were Shiites and Yazidis, but they
were taught to hate their communities. The textbooks they used were full of
military imagery. Kids were brought in from around Ninewa, and even Syria to
learn there. When the boys got older they were sent to Tal Afar for military
training. These children that lived under IS rule for two years will never get
this time back. Not only did they miss regular school, but also the
indoctrination they received may negatively affect their lives for years to
come. That’s made worse by the fact that they were all orphans, which means
they don’t have parents and family to help tell them deal with what they went
through.
SOURCES
Abdul-Zahra, Qassim, "Official: IS kills 8 Iraqi militia near
Tikrit," Associated Press, 2/17/17
Bulos, Nabih, “In the half of Mosul freed from Islamic
State, life returns to not-quite normal,” Los Angeles Times, 2/16/17
Buratha News, “A leader in the popular crowd: foreign
agendas behind the unresolved battle for Mosul,” 2/17/17
Kalin, Stephen, “In Mosul orphanage, Islamic State groomed
child soldiers,” Reuters, 2/17/17
Mostafa, Mohamed, “Official: Islamic State eastern Mosul
cells spread panic through rumors,” Iraqi News, 2/17/17
New Sabah, “Daesh live in a state of hysteria after being
besieged by the joint forces in the right bank of Mosul,” 2/17/17
Rasheed, Ahmed, “Islamic State readies for close combat in
alleyways of west Mosul,” Reuters, 2/17/17
Rifai, Marisol, “In ‘liberated Mosul, residents say danger
remains,” Agence France Presse, 2/17/17
Rudaw, “Coalition spokesman: ISIS threats to west Mosul
civilians to end in ‘coming weeks,’” 2/17/17
Russia Today, “Grenade-dropping jihadist death drones are
‘insidious’ threat in Iraq – general,” 2/17/17
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