Iraqi forces finally attacked the eastern axis of Mosul. Gogjali on the
outskirts of the city was attacked on October 31 and freed the next day by
units of the Golden Division. The Iraqi army liberated Shallalat, Samah, the
Dijlah Mall, Qudus,
Karama, Intisar, and Judaydat
al-Mufti and Dweikhlah were attacked. Outside the city the army and Hashd
took 9 other towns to the east and west of Mosul. The Golden Division appeared
to be the farthest into the city, but was largely pushing ahead by itself
leaving its flanks and rear exposed. That’s due to the collapse of IS defenses
on the east side. Bazwaya for example, was supposed to take 2-3 days to clear,
but only took 6 hours according to a Golden Division officer.
On October 31, the joint forces moved in close enough to
Mosul to fire artillery onto the city, and that became a reality on November 1.
CNN
reported that the Iraqi military was shelling and carrying out air strikes on
the city.
The last day of October ex-Ninewa Govenror Atheel Nujafi
claimed his forces finally joined in the battle. Rudaw reported
that Nujafi’s Hashd al-Watani fought alongside the 16th Iraqi Army
Division on the northern front. That didn’t appear in any other Iraqi sources,
which raised questions about whether it happened or was just a propaganda
announcement since it would be a big story if it did. Nujafi was hoping that
Mosul would allow his political comeback, but it has not worked out for him so
far. If his armed group were able to liberate any part of Mosul it would be a
big coup for him.
Asaib Ahl Al-Haq (AAH) again claimed
that the U.S. was interfering with Hashd operations. Its spokesman repeated the
claim that the Americans were trying to scramble Hashd communications, and
added that planes were surveilling their movements and headquarters. Pro-Iran
groups like AAH constantly spread these types of conspiracy stories.
For the second time, Badr’s Hadi Ameri made comments opening
the door for the Hashd to enter Mosul. On October 31 he told
the press that the Hashd had agreed to not enter the city, but that could
change due to the situation on the ground or orders from Prime Minister Haidar
Abadi. The Premier was the one that brokered the deal for the Hashd to not go
into Mosul, so the latter would not happen. The former however could open the
door to an assault on the city. Mosul is a huge military and political prize
for all the forces involved. It is the capital of the Islamic State in Iraq,
and its collapse in 2014 gave rise to the Hashd. Laying claim to taking the
city itself would add great prestige to the Hashd, and is a constant
temptation. In the Fallujah operation, the Hashd made a similar promise to not
enter the city, but did at the end anyway, so the same thing could happen
again.
In the Mosul area, IS carried out another execution and was
preparing new defenses. The BBC
reported that 40 former soldiers were executed in Shura south of the city.
Locals said
that IS was setting up new defensive positions in six neighborhoods in the
north and south. At the same time, a Reuters
story had life going on normally in the rest of the city. IS also attempted to
bring people from Hamam al-Alil into the Mosul to be used as human shields.
That was only partially accomplished because Coalition air power kept some
vehicles from moving on the roads out of fear of being attacked.
Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan carried out his threat to move
forces along the border near Tal Afar. Tanks and other military vehicles were deployed to the
area on November 1. Erdogan claimed these forces were going to protect Turkmen
in Tal Afar from Hashd terrorism.
Finally, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) released
the latest figure on displaced. It had 17,916 people leaving their homes since
the Mosul operation started on October 17. Many people have also gone home
during the same period.
SOURCES
Adel, Loaa, "Iraqi army free 2 villages in eastern
Mosul," Iraqi News, 11/1/16
Alkhshali, Hamdi, Tawfeeq, Mohammed, Dewan, Angela and
McKirdy, Euan, “Mosul: Iraqi forces on city’s doorstep,” CNN, 11/1/16
Bas News, "Iraqi Army Fully Liberates Shallalat District in
Northern Mosul," 11/1/16
BBC, "Mosul battle: Iraqi special forces enter city
limits," 11/1/16
Buratha News, "Recent developments in the field until 17:55
pm Tuesday 11 01 2016," 11/1/16
- "Recent developments in the field until 18:20 pm Tuesday 11
01 2016," 11/1/16
International Organization for Migration, “IOM Iraq
Emergency Tracking: 17,916 Individuals Displaced in First Two Weeks of Mosul Operations,”
11/1/16
Iraq Oil Report, “Inside Mosul: Nov. 1, 2016,” 11/1/16
Al Jazeera, "Iraqi forces advance to eastern edge of
Mosul," 11/1/16
Kalin, Stephen and Evans, Dominic, “Iraqi troops battle
Islamic State inside Mosul,” Reuters, 11/1/16
Al Masalah, “Amiri: Our mission is the liberation of our
country and if necessary we will go to Syria,” 10/31/16
Morris, Loveday and Salim, Mustafa, “Iraqi elite forces
enter Mosul over 2 years after Islamic State seized the city,” Washington Post,
11/1/16
Mostapha Mohamed, "Senior ISIS official killed in
al-Shallalat district of Mosul," Iraqi News, 11/1/16
- “Telbawi: US aircraft monitor al-Hashed al-Shaabi’s
locations and headquarters,” Iraqi News, 11/1/16
NINA, “Daesh establish defensive lines at the entrances to
neighborhoods of Mosul,” 10/31/16
Rudaw, "Iraqi Army enters Mosul: Live updates day 16,"
11/1/16
- “Mosul Offensive Day 15: Live Updates,” 10/31/16
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