The progress of the Golden Division on the eastern side of
Mosul is getting convoluted. On November
3 it was reported that it had entered the Intisar neighborhood of Mosul
along with a Rapid Intervention Force brigade. Two days before there was news
that area had been freed.
Likewise the unit reached
Karama and Samah when both of those areas were supposedly entered before
and Samah liberated. Likewise, there was still fighting going on in the
outskirts of Gogjali,
another town said to be liberated. The Iraqi forces have a bad habit of
declaring places cleared prematurely. They should be more patient because any
place they attack they will eventually take, so there’s no reason to jump the
gun so often.
In the south the army, Federal Police and Hashd freed eight
towns as well. The army is attempting to take Hamam al-Alil, while the Hashd
are trying to cut off Mosul from its route to Syria in the west.
As the west is being closed off there is news
that more Islamic State members are trying to get out of Mosul while they still
can. Inside the city, IS has consolidated their position in the western side
and are forcing civilians into that area as well. At the same time, the group
is forcing people out of towns in the south into Mosul, and killing those that
refuse. The speculation is that these people will be used as human shields.
IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released a message
to his followers. He called on them to hold their ground and not to retreat.
Given how fast the campaign has moved so far it’s not clear how long they can
do that.
Finally, there is a new exodus of people from Mosul itself
after the Golden Division reached the eastern side. People were seen flowing
out through Intisar and Gogjali.
SOURCES
Adel, Loaa, "Joint security forces storm into Hayy al-Intsar
near Mosul," Iraqi News, 11/3/16
BBC, "IS conflict: Battle for Mosul on schedule, but not exactly
to plan," 11/2/16
Iraq Oil Report, "Inside Mosul: Nov. 1, 2016," 11/1/16
- "Inside Mosul: Nov. 3, 2016," 11/3/16
Lister, Tim, Tawfeeq, Mohammed and Dewan, Angela, “Iraqi
forces fight ISIS on streets of Mosul,” CNN, 11/3/16
Mostapha Mohamed, "Senior ISIS official killed in
al-Shallalat district of Mosul," Iraqi News, 11/1/16
Rudaw, "THE FIGHT FOR MOSUL: Live updates day 18,"
11/3/16
Xinhua, "Iraqi forces to extend grip in IS stronghold in
Mosul," 11/3/16
No comments:
Post a Comment