Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Mosul Campaign Day 64, Dec 19, 2016


The Mosul campaign has slowed down considerably. The Iraqi forces (ISF) were still trying to take the Salam Hospital in the Wahda district of southeast Mosul and attacked a neighboring area. The ISF also killed four suicide bombers. In the west, the Hashd were attacked twice and the Tal Afar airport hit by mortar fire. The decrease in operations is due to exhaustion, the ISF stalling in the north, south and west, and the Iraqi command revising its game plan. Part of the new strategy is to shift forces from the north and south to the east to assist the Golden and 9th Divisions. Federal Police units for example are being sent to the east to hold territory taken by the Special Forces and army. Southern Mosul is also being shelled in preparation for a new push on the city.

Inside Mosul the situation continues to deteriorate. In the last ten days a reported 12 people died due to a lack of medicine in areas of the city held by the militants. That was a mix of old and newborns. Not only are stocks running low but Islamic State fighters are taking all the supplies at hospitals. 4 people were executed as well for trying to escape IS held territory. In liberated areas of east Mosul there are increasing robberies. Locals are calling for police to come in and secure areas that have been freed as the Golden Division and army moved forward.

Outside the city things are also growing more difficult. There are a series of aid stations and hospitals in eastern Mosul run by the Iraqi government, the military and aid groups that do triage on the hundreds of people being killed and injuring in the fighting. They then have to take an ambulance to Irbil to enter a proper hospital. Those frontline aid stations are being overwhelmed by the number of people they are treating. A parliamentarian criticized Baghdad for not better preparing for this predictable situation. As part of the campaign plan, the government called on the residents of Mosul to stay in their homes because the authorities had no way of taking care of them. Now that they are embroiled in the middle of combat, the government still does not have the resources to deal with them. Aid groups also lacked the ability to deal with the situation. The United Nations for example has never gotten all of the funds that it has requested for its efforts in Iraq since 2014.

Finally, Musings On Iraq has counted 1,968 people killed and 3,383 wounded in Mosul from October 17 to December 14. The vast majority of the dead, 1,046 were reportedly executed by the Islamic State. 922 have been killed in the fighting in the city, consisting of 99 soldiers and 823 civilians have died in the fighting, and 142 soldiers and 3,241 civilians have been injured. The real numbers are much higher.

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "Iraqi forces kill 14 IS members east of Mosul," Iraqi News, 12/19/16
- "Islamic State attack kills 4 Shia militans near Mosul," Iraqi News, 12/19/16

Face Iraq, “Government source: At least 4,000 civilians killed and wounded since the start of the battle of Mosul,” 12/19/16

Al Forat, "Destroyed a Daesh car bomb in frustrated attack west of Mosul," 12/19/16
- "Popular crowd kills two snipers west of Tal Afar after infiltrating deep into enemy territory," 12/19/16

Iraq Oil Report, “Inside Mosul, Dec. 19, 2016,” 12/19/16

Al Mada, “Promises to change the military plans to free the left coast are not rigid,” 12/19/16

Al Masalah, "Daesh executed four civilians in Mosul who tried to escape from its control," 12/19/16

Rojkan, Mira, “12 Civilians Died After Lack of Drugs in Mosul,” Bas News, 12/19/16

Ryan, Missy and Salim, Mustafa, “Iraq is unable to treat the huge numbers of people wounded in Mosul,” 12/19/16

Shafaq News, “iraqi forces shelled Daseh sites in preparation for incurstion into Right Bank for first time,” 12/19/16


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