The Iraqi Forces (ISF) are trying to clear the last
neighborhoods in northeast Mosul. Arabi was official declared freed on January 20. Hurra was also
liberated along with a pharmaceutical
factory. Rashidiya, the last major area held by IS was assaulted.
That is a large district with many
residential neighborhoods.
 |
| (Institute for the Study of War) |
The ISF are already planning to attack west Mosul. The
American supplied pontoon bridges arrived in the city. It
appears the Iraqi commanders want to launch the assault as soon as possible so
they may just focus upon a river crossing.
There were more stories on the problems within the Islamic
State. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi allegedly ordered an official
retreat from east Mosul. Iraq
Oil Report was told that Iraqi fighters were fleeing east Mosul and leaving
the foreign fighters behind. There were disagreements and even clashes between
the two. People in the Andalus
neighborhood in northeast Mosul said that there were teen fighters amongst the
ranks of IS. The organization recently released a video of it recruiting
youngsters. The group is facing food shortages in west Mosul, and hunting down deserters,
confiscating their property and burning their homes in west Mosul. The group’s
defenses collapsed in east Mosul. It is yet to be seen whether these issues
will carry over to the west and lead to a relatively quick victory compared to
the east.
Al Mada talked with the mayor of Mosul Hussein Hajim who
gave his estimates for what the battle had done to east Mosul. He speculated
that 100% of police stations, 90% of the roads, 60% of government buildings,
30% of schools, and 15% of residential homes suffered some type of damage. Aden
and Karama were the most affected by the fighting. This will take a huge effort
to rebuild, and the government may not be up to the task right now due to its
lack of money. Reconstruction in Anbar’s cities has been slow going. Given
Mosul’s size it will likely take even longer there.
Finally, Ali Nabhan at the Wall
Street Journal wrote a touching article about how he was cut off from his
best friend Omar who lived in Mosul for two years. The two knew each other from
college at Mosul University before the U.S. invasion. They were able to
reconnect in October 2016 via cellphone at first, and then in person inside the
city itself.
SOURCES
Al Alam, "Iraqi Army Forces Recapture more Areas from Daesh
in Mosul," 1/20/17
Buratha News, “Recent developments in the field in the
process of liberating Mosul until 13:55 pm Friday, 20 01 2017,” 1/20/17
Hemid, Leyla, “Baghdadi Orders Evacuation of IS Militants in
East Mosul,” Bas News, 1/20/17
MacDiarmid, Campbell, “Isis fighters flee western Mosul by
boat leaving streets littered with bodies and blood,” International Business
times, 1/20/17
Al Mada, “Army frees pharmaceutical plant in northern
Mosul,” 1/20/17
- “Federal Police: 974 members of Daesh killed left coast
Mosul,” 1/20/17
- “Left Coast battles destroyed 90% of the streets and 60%
of government buildings,” 1/20/17
Nabhan, Ali, “How I Reunited With My Best Friend in a
Liberated Mosul,” Wall Street Journal, 1/20/17
New Sabah, “Daesh burned homes of fleeing members in Mosul,”
1/20/17
- “Freed first Arab neighborhood north left coast of Mosul,”
1/20/17
Rudaw, “UPDATE: Iraqi army liberates major district in north
of Mosul,” 1/20/17
Tahir, Rawaz, Osgood, Patrick, “Iraqi forces consolidate
gains in half-liberated Mosul,” Iraq Oil Report, 1/20/17
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