Review Weam Namou, Iraqi Americans Witnessing A Genocide, Hermiz Publishing, 2015

  

Iraqi Americans Witnessing A Genocide by Weam Namou is an attempt to record the author’s response to what happened in Iraq after 2003 as well as how the Iraqi Christian community in Michigan reacted to the war with the Islamic State in 2014. It reads like a journal of Namou’s thoughts on her former motherland jumping from topic to topic.

Review Mosul Before Iraq, Like Bees Making Five-Sided Cells

Review Shields, Sarah, Mosul Before Iraq, Like Bees Making Five-Sided Cells, Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000

Professor Sarah Shields’ aim in Mosul Before Iraq, Like Bees Making Five-Sided Cells was to challenge traditional analysis of Ottoman provinces like Mosul that simply focused upon Europe’s either positive or negative effects. Before researchers would talk about how trade with Europe was supposed to help places like Mosul modernize. Then it switched to how Europe underdeveloped these areas and created a situation of dependency. Shields hoped to move away from both models and emphasize how a province like Mosul played a role in a regional economy within the Ottoman Empire as well as its connections with Europe. Her work goes through how different groups in the province like merchants, peasants, and tribes were connected to production, trade, and taxes in the last century of the empire. While there are some interesting points, after a while the book becomes rather monotonous.

Christian-Shabak Tension In Iraq’s Ninewa Plains

(AP)

The Ninewa Plains are dotted with several Christian towns. They all suffered during the war against the Islamic State with most of the populations fleeing. Since the conflict ended, many of these areas have continued to face problems with getting people to return, rebuilding and rivalries with other communities.

Review Christianity in Iraq

Review Rassam, Suha, Christianity in Iraq, Herefordshire: Gracewing 2006

Author Suha Rassam was born and raised a Christian in the Iraqi city of Mosul. When she went to school in London she started researching her roots, which led to a Master’s of Arts in Eastern Christianity. That eventually resulted in Christianity in Iraq, an attempt to document all the different Christian communities that emerged in Iraq over the centuries.

Christians Celebrate Mass In Mosul For First Time In 3 Years

The Chaldean patriarch of Baghdad Luis Sako led church services at the Church of St. Paul in Mosul. This was the first time Christians had gathered in the city to celebrate Christmas since the Islamic State seized Mosul in 2014. Back in July 2014, the militants distributed flyers telling Christians they had to convert, pay a tax or be killed. The next day insurgents marked Christians houses in the city. The day after that, a second leaflet was issued telling them they had to obey the first order or leave. That led to the majority of the population fleeing. Since the Mosul campaign was completed the future of the community has been up in the air. Some are afraid to return to their homes, many want to stay in their new locations or leave Iraq overall. Still others are attempting to rebuild, which was seen in the service held in Mosul.

(Baghdad Today)

(Baghdad Today)

(Baghdad Today)

SOURCES

Agence France Presse, “In ruins of Iraq Christian town, fires a sign of rebirth,” 5/6/17

Baghdad Today, “Pictures of the first mass in Mosul after Daesh,” 12/24/17

Bassem, Wassim, “As Mosul battle nears end, Iraqi Christians wary of return,” Al Monitor, 6/30/17

- “Iraq’s Christians demand reconstruction of religious sites,” Al Monitor, 5/21/17

Coles, Isabel, “Insight – Purge of minorities re-draws Iraq map,” Reuters, 7/24/14

Harding, Luke and Hawramy, Fazel, “Isis accused of ethnic cleansing as story of Shia prison massacre emerges,” Guardian, 8/25/14

Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Human Rights Office, “ Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Iraq: 6 July – 10 September 2014,” 10/2/14

Post Mosul Liberation Day 34 Aug 13 2017

The Islamic State is operating throughout Ninewa, but at a very low level. Three insurgents were arrested attempting to lay IEDs along the road from Qayara in the southeast to Mosul. Every day there are a few such incidents. They do not present a real threat to security, but it shows the militants have access to nearly every part of the province.

Mosul Campaign Day 261 Jul 4 2017

Red shows the area remaining under Islamic State control in Mosul (Ninewa Media Cell)

The Iraqi forces (ISF) were fighting in the center and southern sections of the Old City. The Rapid Reaction Division was operating in Bob al-Tob one of the southern entrances to the district. The Golden Division and 16^th Division were in Maidan, Kawazin, Qalahat, Barka, and Ras al-Koor, that was declared freed yesterday, in the middle of the Old City. Roughly 40% of the district remains to be freed. That area stretches from the Tigris River down to the southcentral neighborhood of Bob al-Tob. Some ISF maps show only the section along the Tigris as still being under Islamic State control, but those are inaccurate.

Mosul Campaign Day 258 Jul 1 2017

Students cleaning up Mosul University campus building in east Mosul (Los Angeles Times)

The ninth month of the Mosul campaign saw another day of advances. First, the Rapid Reaction Division freed Shifa north of the Old City district along the Tigris River for the fifth time. The Iraqi forces (ISF) entered the neighborhood at the end of May and immediately got caught up in the medical complex. Iraqi propaganda obscured exactly what happened but either the hospitals were constantly changing hands or the Iraqis never cleared them completely until now. The Ibn Sina Hospital for example was taken on May 28 and then again on July 1.

Mosul Campaign Day 225 May 29 2017

The third day of the last phase of the Battle for Mosul saw fighting on all fronts, with limited progress. The Federal Police moved 100 more meters into Zinjali for a total of 400 meters. Most of the Islamic State fighters in the neighborhood were said to have retreated to the Old City. There was continued clashes in that district and Saha where reinforcements were sent in. The Iraqi air force once again leafletted the city telling people to flee through safe corridors set up by the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). Originally, the government told the population to stay within the city because neither it nor aid agencies had the capacity to deal with them. That greatly complicated the battle and has led to huge casualties. Baghdad has finally changed tact and is now telling citizens to leave to make way for the ISF.

Mosul Campaign Day 202, May 6, 2017

Families taking boats across the Tigris from west to east Mosul. Flooding has taken down the one pontoon bridge across the river in the city (Reuters)

The new northern thrust into west Mosul paid more dividends. The last section of the Mesherfa neighborhood was freed, along with Kanisa and Harmat 1. There were reports of fighting going on in some of the recently liberated areas. That is normal as the Islamic State often retreats and then re-infiltrates into a sector of the city. On April 28, the chief of staff of the army General Osman al-Ghanami said that the battle for Mosul would be over in three weeks. On May 6, he upped that to just a few days. This is common Iraqi propaganda. The War Media Cell told the press that the campaign was going according to plan and that losses had been within expected limits. It went on to attack social media claiming that lies and fabrications were being spread about the battle. The Iraqi military has been increasingly defensive about any criticism of its work. The deputy head of the security committee in parliament said that the Islamic State’s defenses were broken in northwestern Mosul leading to a much quicker advance. The new advance into northern Iraq has stretched the Islamic State’s forces. For most of the fight it has relied upon relatively small units to hold up the Iraqi forces. Now its forces are spread between both the center and northern section of the city. The Iraqis could be making even faster progress if they could coordinate better and attack along all fronts at the same time. Right now all the movement is in the north and there is little going on in the center and Old City in the east.

Mosul Campaign Day 174-175, Apr 8-9, 2017

Palm Sunday services held for first time in three years in church in Qaraqosh, Ninewa, which was burned by Islamic State (Reuters)

The Iraqi forces (ISF) are only carrying out minimal operations in west Mosul in preparation for an impending big push to seize the Old City district. On April 8 the Federal Police claimed it achieved a breakthrough in the Zinjali neighborhood in the Old City. The police said this cut off some Islamic State supply routes to the area. The next day Federal Police commander General Shakir Jawadat stated that 60% of the defenses around the Grand Mosque in the Old City were destroyed. Iraqi propaganda is anything but consistent since Golden Division General Abdul Wahab al-Saadi was quoted in the press a week before that all the defenses were breached. Whatever the percentage is the Iraqi police have been inching towards the mosque for weeks now. Finally the Golden Division seized the Matahen neighborhood in central west Mosul. That unit has been moving up the western and central section of the city to try to encircle the Old City, which is now surrounded on two sides by the ISF with a third running along the Tigris River. The final push into this area should be coming soon. According to Al Mada the operation was supposed to have already started, but was delayed due to heavy civilian casualties.

Mosul Campaign Day 115, Feb 8, 2017

The army chief of staff General Osman al-Ghani said that the attack on west Mosul would start soon. He encouraged people to return to the city and for the government to assist those still displaced. The government is continuing to push its propaganda line that the Islamic State is defeated and that taking west Mosul will be easier than east Mosul as a result.

Mosul Campaign Day 99, Jan 23, 2017

The big news of the day was the Defense Ministry claiming that all of east Mosul was liberated when it wasn’t. The Ministry made the announcement at the start of the day, but was quickly corrected by the forces on the ground, and the Joint Operations Command. General Yahya Rasool pointed out that the Rashidiya district in the northeast was still being attacked by the 9^th and 16 Divisions, while the Joint Operations Command told the media that it was the only body authorized to declare areas of the city under government control. The Defense Ministry had to acknowledged that it was mistaken. This happens all the time in Iraq as over anxious officers or competition between units and commands lead to premature declarations. That was why many of the neighborhoods in Mosul were said to have been taken multiple times. The Iraqi government has been pushing a victory narrative for the last three years, and it often times gets out of hand.

The Islamic State was continuing with its sabotage campaign and preparing its defenses. It blew up a power substation in Rashidiya that provided not only electricity for homes but also for a water treatment facility. In the west it was erecting barriers on the sections of the destroyed bridges across the Tigris in case the Iraqi Forces (ISF) attempted to use them. It was also occupying homes along the river to use them as firing positions. At the same time a Ninewa provincial councilman told the press that IS leaders were fleeing towards Syria. No one can tell how the fight for west Mosul will go. IS defenses collapsed in the east, but there’s no telling whether that will carry over to the east.

IS has used religious and public facilities as bases for years now. Mosul was no different as the ISF found that the Grand Mosque was used to build IEDs and car bombs, as well as fly drones out of. Earlier the Salam Hospital, which initially was believed to still be a health facility, turned out to be a major command and control center for the insurgents.

On the positive side life continued to return to sections of Mosul. 70 public schools and one private one re-opened. The government was trying to restart the food ration system within the city, and clean water was restored to three neighborhoods. Students at Mosul University showed up for a small demonstration demanding that their school be rebuilt. IS burned and destroyed large sections of the campus leaving it a wreck. Approximately 4,000 displaced returned to the city according to the Displacement Ministry. Almost as soon as an area is taken people start to come out into the streets, clean up, or head back to their homes. It’s good to see that the authorities are starting to move into the city as well. That will all help to win the loyalty of the populace to the Ninewa council and Baghdad, which was a major goal.

The ISF is putting together its plans for west Mosul. Commanders are talking about a quick turn around from the liberation of the east to assaulting the west. Engineers are building pontoon bridges provided by the United States to cross the Tigris. Iraqi planes started air strikes on the west as well. There is still going to be a pause as the various units need to re-supply and re-fit before they take on the second half of the city, but Iraqis want that to happen as rapidly as possible.

National Security Adviser Falah al-Fayad said that there was nothing stopping the Hashd from taking Tal Afar to the west of Mosul. Turkey continuously complained about that happening when the operation started claiming that the units would commit abuses. Baghdad and Ankara reportedly signed an agreement to keep the Hashd out as a result. The ISF however are making no move to take the town as the original battle plan collapsed. A decision may have been made to just allow the Hashd to attack the village as a result, but that’s yet to be seen.

A story is circulating that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was wounded in an Iraqi air strike in the Baaj district by Tal Afar. This is the third time however that Iraqi sources have aired this story, and there is no way to confirm it.

The United States has stepped up its support for the ISF in the second phase of the Mosul campaign, but they are not the only member of the coalition. France 24 had another piece on French Special Forces operating inside Mosul. They are probably playing the same role as their American counterparts providing intelligence, air strikes, targeting for artillery, and advice to the Iraqi military.

The mayor of Sinjar Mahma Khalil called on the Iraqi forces to rescue Yazidi women captured by the Islamic State and taken to Mosul. He had information that up to 1,200 Yazidis were within the city and wanted the military to conduct targeted raids to free them. The Yazidi population was devastated when the Islamic State swept into their villages in 2014. The women and girls were separated from their families and sold off as slaves or forced into marriage with IS fighters. Many of them are still probably in Mosul, with others taken to Syria.

Prime Minister Haidar Abadi announced an investigation would be launched into reports that the ISF and Hashd have kidnapped and abused civilians. There was also a video of three unarmed IS members being executed, which the United Nations demanded be looked into. Baghdad has launched dozens of these probes, but they are for public consumption only as nothing ever comes of them. Transparency is not a strength of the Iraqi government, and it does not want to do anything that might jeopardize morale and question its fight against the insurgents.

The Ninewa Plains were one of the historic homelands of Iraq’s Christian community. Much of it has been liberated recently, but the towns have mostly been destroyed. Al Jazeera talked with an Assyrian family that went back to Qaraqosh east of Mosul. It was devastated and there were still plenty of IEDs, leading the family to say that they were afraid to stay there. That’s the reason why many of these Christian villages remain uninhabited.

Finally, an Iraqi parliamentarian told New Sabah that former governor Atheel Nujafi and ex-Finance Minister Rafi Issawi wanted to convert Ninewa into a federal region after it is freed. MP Abdul Rahim al-Shammari claimed this plan had the backing of Turkey. Nujafi has little support left in the province, and is widely unpopular outside of it. An arrest warrant was even issued for his ties with Turkey back in October, but it was never acted upon. He is hoping that the Mosul operation will restore him to power, but he will have to compete with the current Ninewa government along with Prime Minister Abadi neither of which have any intention of bringing Nujafi back.

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, “Nineveh Council’s member: Dozens of IS leaders flee toward Syria,” Iraqi News, 1/23/17

AIN, “Joint Operations: Continued liberation of left coast of Mosul,” 1/23/17

Baruch, Uzi, “ISIS leader ‘critically’ wounded in Iraq air strikes,” Arutz Sheva, 1/23/17

CBS News, “U.S.-backed forces brace for ISIS’ last stand in Iraq,” 1/23/17

Chmaytelli, Maher and Hameed, Saif, “Iraqi forces take complete control of east Mosul,” Reuters, 1/23/17

eKurd, “Iraqi Kurdistan News in brief – January 23, 2017,” 1/23/17

Al Forat, “Fayad: No objection to the entry of the popular crowd into Tal Afar,” 1/23/17

France 24, “Iraq: Embedded with French special forces in Mosul,” 1/23/17

Iraq Oil Report, “Inside Mosul: Jan. 23, 2017,” 1/23/17

Al Jazeera, “Iraq army denies taking east Mosul from ISIL,” 1/23/17

Kurdistan24, “VIDEO: Is turned Mosul’s Great Mosque into bomb, VBIED factory,” 1/22/17

Al Maalomah, ‘Freed the northern part of Rashidiya in the left bank of Mosul,” 1/23/17

Al Mada, “Judiciary issued an arrest warrant for Atheel Nujafi on charges of communicating with a foreign country,” 10/20/16

Mostafa, Mohamed, “Iraq PM orders investigation into abuses reported in Mosul battle,” Iraqi News, 1/23/17

- "Iraqi forces storm last Islamic State location in eastern Mosul," Iraqi News, 1/23/17

- “More than 4000 displaced families return to eastern Mosul Monday,” Iraqi News, 1/23/17

- “Northern Mosul district recapture from IS, makeshift bridges erected for west battles,” Iraqi News, 1/23/17

New Sabah, “Daesh destroyed infrastructure in Mosul,” 1/24/17

- “Defectors from Mutahidun: Najafi al-Issawi and repackaging the Sunni region project,” 1/23/17

- “Engineers proceed to erect bridges over the Tigris River in preparation for the start of freeing the right bank,” 1/23/17

- “Joint Operations: surprise plans to liberate Mosul,” 1/23/17

Al Sumaria, “Joint Operations Command Contradicts Defense Ministry: liberation of left coast of Mosul still on going,” 1/23/17

Thomas, Claire, “Iraqi Christians return to ISIL’s wreckage,” Al Jazeera, 1/23/17

Mosul Campaign Day 90, Jan 14, 2017

On the 90^th day of the Mosul campaign all of southeast Mosul was declared freed and much of the northern section as well. Starting in the south, the Federal Police and 9^th Division freed Yarmja. The Rapid Reaction forces reached the Tigris River and said it was aiming to attack the Mosul Airport. Other units were clearing areas they had taken in the section. In doing so the entire southeastern part of Mosul was under government control. Towards the center the Golden Division liberated Sadriya, Nassir and Faisaliya. The unit also seized several government buildings including the mayor and the provincial council’s offices. In the north the division took all of the Mosul University. Above that the army was going through Hadbaa, Mudraa and Kafat looking for IEDs and booby traps. Only about 25% of Mosul in the northeast along the Tigris River and in the center remains under Islamic State control after these recent advances.

In the new areas being entered there has been a shift in the fighting. First, there are fewer car bombs. There used to be double digits per day, but now that is down to around 1-4. There are also not as many civilian casualties because not many people live in areas such as the government complex and the Mosul University.

The Washington Post noted how reinforcements, more supplies and an increase in U.S. led Coalition advisers has facilitated the recent victories. The Golden Division, which has been in the lead inside Mosul received up to 300 new replacements. It also got 70 additional Humvees, and 40 U.S. Coalition advisers in and around Mosul. The first two were very important to keep the unit going. There have been various figures presented for the Golden Division’s casualties. An Iraqi general said it had suffered 20-26% losses, an American officer told Politico that it was as high as 50%, while a former American adviser to the Golden Division had heard the figure was 20-35%. There’s no way to say which was right, as the government does not report its losses. Whatever the true number was replacement troops and equipment were crucial to keep the force going in the tough fighting within the city. The forward deployment of Coalition forces also helped with air and artillery strikes, and providing intelligence and advice.

Reuters had a piece on how IS was fighting inside the city. It talked with people in Muharibeen, which is now under government control, about how the militants conducted themselves. IS hung curtains across streets to try to obscure its movements from the ISF. It parked car bombs on side streets waiting for opportunities to deploy them, forced people out of their homes at gunpoint to use them as fire positions, and then quickly moved on to others. Finally there was a division of labor between fighters who planted explosives, snipers, and guides. The guides would tell fighters where to take up positions, where to place car bombs, etc. The IS members were also from different places. Locals claimed the snipers were usually foreign fighters form Russia, Chechnya and Afghanistan, while the rest were Iraqis mostly from Mosul and Tal Afar.

Another day and there was another story on the divisions within the Islamic State. 10 IS fighters were allegedly killed and wounded in a clash. As insurgents were fleeing east Mosul for the west crossing the Tigris, other members called them cowards. That led to an argument and armed clashes that resulted in the casualties.

The Director General of the Joint Crisis Coordination Center in Kurdistan warned that the humanitarian situation was growing worse for those displaced from the fighting. He said that around 3,000 people were fleeing Mosul per day. 70% of those make their way to camps in Kurdistan. He complained that Baghdad and international donors were not contributing enough to aid this increasing wave of people. This was predicted before the Mosul campaign began, and was why the government urged the people of Ninewa to stay in their homes. The authorities and aid groups simply lacked the resources to take care of them. Only one tenth of the one million internal refugees that were feared have materialized, but they even that amount is turning into a handful.

Rudaw went to a screening court at a displaced camp in Khazir. While most have focused upon the males that are taken away as suspected IS sympathizers during this process Rudaw wrote about the documents people are missing, which are crucial for receiving aid. People need their government IDs to receive tents, food rations, and other forms of assistance. Many coming out of Mosul have either left those papers behind, were lost while they were under IS rule, or were taken by Kurdish security when they escaped. The situation of the displaced is already hard enough. Without their papers it will be all that more difficult.

Finally, the Ninewa Plains were liberated during the Mosul operation, which is one of the historical homelands of Iraq’s Christians. Many of their towns like Qaraqosh have been destroyed however, and few are talking about returning. Instead many interviewed by the press have talked about immigrating to other countries, especially ones in Europe, a process that has been going on for years now due to the violence aimed at them. As one Christian woman said, the Islamic State “destroyed our dreams and our memories” and there was little left for them in Iraq now. On the other hand, there are some that want to create their own province or region. How successful that will be with more and more of the community leaving the country is yet to be seen.

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "Security forces liberate government buildings, 3 districts in Mosul, Iraqi News, 1/14/17

- “Security forces storm into Mosul University and liberate it completely,” Iraqi News, 1/14/17

- “Ten IS members killed, wounded in internal clash in Mosul,” Iraqi News, 1/14/17

Al Alam, “VIDEO: Iraqi Forces Reaches Bank of Tigris River, Aim for Mosul Airport,” 1/14/17

BBC, "Mosul battle: Iraq forces 'retake' university from IS," 1/14/17

Chick, Kristen, “Iraqi Christians: Will they go home?” Christian Science Monitor, 1/14/17

George, Susannah, “Iraq makes swift territorial gains against IS in Mosul,” Associated Press, 1/14/17

Al Jazeera, “Iraqi forces ‘retake Mosul University’ from ISIL,” 1/14/17

Kalin, Stephen, “On Mosul frontlines, Islamic State’s local fighters direct the battle,” Reuters, 1/14/17

MacDiarmid, Campbell, “The Battle to Retake Mosul Is Stalemated,” Foreign Policy, 12/22/16

Morris, Loveday and Salim, Mustafa, “After a slow and bloody fight against ISIS, Iraqi forces pick up the pace in Mosul,” Washington Post, 1/14/17

Neuhof, Florian, “Inside Mosul: Taking selfies and comforting civilians all in a day’s work for Iraqi soldiers,” The National, 1/14/17

Neurink, Judit, “Court set up near Mosul to confer Iraqi IDs on refugees with ISIS-issued documents,” Rudaw, 1/14/17

New Sabah, “Liberated a wide area of Mosul neighborhoods and Veterinary Medical College,” 1/14/17

NINA, “Daesh Burns All Government Departments In The Left Side In Mosul,” 1/13/17

Perry, Mark, “How Iraq’s Army Could Defeat ISIS in Mosul-But Lose Control of the Country,” Politico, 12/15/16

Rudaw, “Iraqi army kills ISIS leader form Netherlands in Mosul,” 1/14/17

- “Mosul University liberated along with entire southeastern parts of the city, security officials say,” 1/14/17

- “Mosul’s fleeing residents double with 3000 on daily basis, Kurdish official,” 1/14/17

Shafaaq News, “War media cell reveals the outcome of the day’s battles in Mosul,” 1/14/17

Xinhua, "Iraqi forces make gains in recapture push in Mosul," 1/14/17

Mosul Campaign Day 68, Dec. 23, 2016

There was movement on the northern front for the first time since the start of the month. The Iraqi forces (ISF) cleared the Police Academy and vehicle registration directorate building north of Mosul. The ISF had not done anything in that sector since December 5 when three villages were freed. Northern forces were supposed to organize to take the town of Tal Afar in the west and attack the northern neighborhoods of Mosul in November, but have been stalled. Some units have been shifted to east Mosul instead in recent weeks.

The Iraqi air force dropped more flyers over Mosul. This was a mix of official statements by the government and letters written by citizens. The official ones told people to be patient and that victory was close. The others were personal letters of support for the residents of the city. The ISF has leafleted over Mosul several times before.

Iraqi commanders continue to give contradictory statements about the state of the campaign. General Abdul al-Assadi from the Golden Division told the media that the ISF was planning for a new push to free the rest of eastern Mosul. The commander of Iraqi ground forces on the other hand, General Riyadh Tawfiq claimed there was no pause, but then said in a few days there would be new operations. Due to stiff Islamic State resistance, exhaustion, casualties, lack of supporting troops, police, and Hashd to hold areas freed, and apparent reluctance by some officers to move forward, all fronts have largely halted although fighting continues.

The New York Times featured an article about the future for Christians in Ninewa. Several Christian towns such as Qaraqosh and Bartella have been freed during the campaign, but the piece questioned how many people would return to them. Christian militias who secured some of those areas said they were still afraid of Islamic State attacks, and most villages were destroyed. Since 2003 the Christian population of Iraq has been devastated due to violence. IS’s take over of most of Ninewa in 2014 was just the latest time they were targeted and forced to flee their homes. Many have resettled in other parts of the country or left Iraq overall and those trends only look to be continuing.

Finally the Irbil health directorate provided new information on casualties in Iraq. Many of the wounded from the fighting in east Mosul are sent to that city’s health facilities. With the new data a total of 4,153 people have been killed in Ninewa since the start of the Mosul campaign on October 17, and 7,908 wounded. Roughly 65% of the dead were the result of Islamic State executions, 2,717. When the operation started, the group was forcing people from southern villages to retreat with them towards Mosul to be used as human shields. Later the group separated the men, especially former members of the security forces and carried out mass shootings. Another 247 people have lost their lives and 156 wounded in Coalition air strikes. The real figures are higher due to government censorship and lack of access to the frontlines and areas held by the Islamic State.

Mosul Campaign Casualties 10/17/16-12/22/16

4,153 Killed

1 U.S. Sailor, 1 Hashd al-Watani, 2 Kurd CT, 4 ISF, 11 Police, 65 Peshmerga, 82 Hashd, 189 Soldiers, 3,798 Civilians

7,908 Wounded

2 Hashd al-Watani, 4 Police, 59 Hashd, 253 Peshmerga, 353 ISF, 446 Soldiers, 6,791 Civilians

2,717 Executed by the Islamic State

247 civilians killed, 156 wounded by Coalition air strikes

SOURCES

Kalin, Stephen, “U.S. forces embedding more to help Iraqis retake Mosul – commander,” Reuters, 12/23/16

Al Maalomah, "Foiled suicide attack In Qayyarah," 12/23/16

- "Freed the Police Academy and Directorate of Vehicle Registration north of Mosul," 12/24/16

- "Iraqi aircraft destroyed car bomb targeting federal police southwest of Mosul," 12/23/16

NINA, “Commander of the anti-terrorism device: The next few days will witness the announcement of the liberation of left coast entirely,” 12/22/16

- “Commander of the ground troops confirms from Karbala: No stop of military operations in Mosul,” 12/22/16

Ponomarev, Sergey and Arango, Tim, “For Liberated Iraqi Christians, Still a Bleak Christmas,” New York Times, 12/23/16

Rudaw, “Iraqis send four million letters of love and support to people of Mosul,” 12/23/16

- “UPDATED: Tens of civilians killed in triple ISIS car bomb east of Mosul,” 12/22/16

Sotaliraq, "Killing and wounding 18 civilians shelled by Daesh east Mosul," 12/23/16

- "Security forces advancing on police academy north of Mosul," 12/23/16

Mosul Campaign Day 43, Nov 28, 2016

The Iraqi forces (ISF) reported more progress on November 27. The Golden Division entered Barid and freed Falah, both new neighborhoods in eastern Mosul.

In comparison, on November 28 the division was mostly fighting over areas it had gone through before. Two new neighborhoods were declared liberated, but one of them Qahira, had been cleared before. There was also fighting in Qadisiya, Zuhur, and Salam all of which were freed previously, along with Nassir, Mufti, Younis Sabawi, and Palestine.

There was little movement on the other fronts. The 9^th Division freed Kissar to the southeast. The Federal Police in the southwest were still clearing buildings and roads.

The slow progress in the north and south, and the heavy fighting in the east is making the military re-think its plans for taking Mosul. The Golden Division is just 3 km from the Tigris River, and has taken the brunt of the fighting. The 16^th Division is 10 km from Mosul in the north and has largely stopped advancing. It did send a brigade to assist in eastern Mosul. Part of the 9^th Division is 2.5 km from south Mosul, while other elements of the division are with the Golden Division inside the city. An officer in the 9th said that it was nearly exhausted from all the fighting that it had gone through so far. With two fronts stalled and mounting military and civilian casualties there is lots of pressure to reconsider the campaign plan. That has already happened before. Originally, there were six separate thrusts towards Mosul. At the start of November that was reduced to just three and the shifting of some forces around. Similar modifications may be coming soon.

Reuters reported that the Islamic State was arresting shop owners accused of raising their prices. There have been several stories of major shortages affecting the city’s population, and the militants appear to be afraid that may cause unrest, which is leading to the new crackdown on businesses.

The Christian Science Monitor talked with a few Christians who were displaced from Bartella, which was freed at the start of the Mosul campaign. The Islamic State swept through the town in August 2014. One family said that they tried to escape to Kurdistan, but were stopped at a checkpoint and imprisoned. There they were told to convert to Islam, and when they eventually agreed they were let go. At the two prisons they were held at they reported constant beatings and an execution. Another family was tortured and beaten for not knowing their prayers and for not showing up often enough to the mosque. Almost all of the Christians in the areas of Ninewa seized by the Islamic State were driven off two years ago. Now their homes areas are being liberated, and the big question will be how many are willing to go back.

For some reason Reuters decided to write an entire article based upon a conversation with Khamis Khanjar. He is a Dubai based businessman who was one of the major financiers of the Iraqiya party in 2010. Since then he has established his own list and hopes to become a new Sunni leader in the provincial and parliamentary elections scheduled for 2017 and 2018 respectively. Khanjar warned that if the Hashd were to entire Mosul they could massacre and abuse the populace. He then said that the Nujafi’s Hashd al-Watani and the army should be leading the campaign. So far the Hashd are far away from Mosul in the west, surrounding the town of Tal Afar. The Hashd al-Watani on the other hand have done little, and will likely be kept out of the fight because of the Nujafis bad relations with Baghdad and their ties to Turkey, which has been deeply critical and confrontational during the entire operation.

Finally the number of displaced took another jump. For several days the displaced however around 68,000, but that went up to 75,720 according to the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees. Almost all of those, roughly 72,000 are from the Mosul district. The U.N. said more people are fleeing the city itself with some 4,000 leaving just on November 24. 2,031 Iraqis also fled to Syria since the start of the campaign. After these people reach the Iraqi forces they have to be vetted. There are lots of complaints about how long civilians can be held before they are cleared or arrested, along with lots of accusations of false claims about family members being IS members or sympathizers. This must be done, but the sheer size of the task is daunting along with the inconsistencies of the process means it will always be long and imperfect.

SOURCES

ARA News, "Over 50 ISIS militants killed, 32 taken captive as Iraqi forces step up Mosul operations," 11/27/16

Chick, Kristen, “Their town now liberated, Iraqi Christians talk of life under ISIS,” Christian Science Monitor, 11/28/16

Al Forat, "Popular crowd set off a car bomb during its progress towards the southern village of Mifalakh," 11/28/16

Hasan, Harith, “Electoral race heats up among Iraq’s Sunni factions,” Al Monitor, 4/17/14

Hendawi, Hamza and Abdul-Zahra, Qassim, “Iraq military’s limit are showing in the drawn-out battle for Mosul,” Associated Press, 11/28/16

Iraq Oil Report, "Inside Mosul, Nov. 21, 2016," 11/21/16

- "Inside Mosul, Nov. 27, 2016," 11/27/16

- "Inside Mosul, Nov. 28, 2016," 11/28/16

Al-Khalidi, Suleiman, “Iraq could split if Shi’ite militias enter Mosul – Sunni politician,” Reuters, 11/28/16

Knights, Michael, “IS conflict: Battle for Mosul on schedule, but not exactly to plan,” BBC, 11/2/16

Laessing, Ulf, “Islamic State arrests shopkeepers for hiking prices in nearly besieged Mosul,” Reuters, 11/28/16

Al Maalomah, “Information published on daily position of military operations to liberate Mosul,” 11/28/16

Al Mada, "Counterterorrism imposes its control over two regions in east Mosul," 11/28/16

- “Military leadership is considering Al-Anzalat option to speed up left coast operations,” 11/29/16

Al Masalah, “Iraqi forces hunt terrorists among the displaced people of Mosul,” 11/28/16

Mostafa, Mohamed, "Zohour, Shoqaq Khadraa neighborhoods of Mosul recaptured: source," Iraqi News, 11/24/16

Schreck, Adam, “Iraqi Sunnis accelerate push to make their voices heard,” Associated Press, 12/1/15

Al Sumaria, "Nineveh we are coming dlecares freeing Zab Al Kasr village and raising the Iraqi flag over it," 11/28/16

UN High Commissioner for Refugees, “Iraq Situation: Flash Update – 27 November 2016,” 11/27/16

BYU VIDEO: Christians In Contemporary Iraq Current Plight And Future Prospect Prof Herman Teule

OXFORD UNIV VIDEO: Mardean Issac The Future Of Assyrians In Iraq And Syria

VANDERBUILT UNIV VIDEO: Who are The Christians Of Syria and Iraq?

AHLULBAYT TV VIDEO: ISIS Islamic Extremism?