March 1 was another day of consolidation and hard fighting
in southern Mosul. An apartment complex in Mamun was freed
by the Golden Division after the district was declared liberated on February
23 and 26.
That same unit was still trying to secure
Wadi Hajar, Mansour and Shuhada. Wadi Hajar was unofficially
said to be cleared yesterday. The Iraqi engineers completed
the pontoon bridge across the Tigris in southern Mosul. The Islamic State also
carried out a surprise attack
on Hawi al-Josaq. Its fighters had shaved their beards and were dressed in army
uniforms catching the Iraqi forces (ISF) by surprise. The Iraqi forces (ISF)
have only entered the southern tip of the city, but as the reports show the
districts they are in remain hotly contested.
Civilians were suffering the consequences of the renewed
campaign. There were 50 casualties from ISF shelling
in the Old City. Air strikes were blamed for another
84 dead and 14 wounded. IS mortar
and sniper
fire wounded 4 including a journalist
for Agence France Presse. West Mosul is known for its densely populated
neighborhoods and tight streets. That is making it extremely difficult to avoid
collateral damage for the Iraqis and their coalition allies. The Islamic State
on other hand, have used people as human shields and intentionally targeted
civilians.
IS is also still at work at undermining security in east
Mosul. A suicide bomber was arrested
in the Baladiyat neighborhood. There were IS attacks
upon two areas and mortar fire on a third leaving two dead and three injured. The
eastern section of the city is hardly being covered anymore, but there are
still IS cells operating there and daily incidents. That has slowed down the
pace of returns there.
To the southwest the army and Hashd are pushing on the city
as well. The 9th Division took Badush
Prison, an infamous institution, which was the site of numerous executions
by the Islamic State. The insurgents were accused
of firing poison gas shells at the Iraqi forces in the area. There have been
sporadic reports of chemical weapons being used by IS. The joint forces seized
a road from Tal Afar to Mosul and were one mile away from reaching the city
itself. For several weeks now the Iraqis claim they have cut off Mosul yet
there always seems to be another route that has yet to be taken, so this
announcement that the city has been cut off needs to be taken with a grain of
salt. At the same time, the army and Hashd advance is important because it
would open a third front in Mosul and stretch out the defenders even more.
Currently the Federal Police and Rapid Reaction Division are pushing up the
bank of the Tigris in the southeast. The Golden Division are attacking in the center
of south Mosul. The army and Al-Abbas Division would be entering in the
southwest.
Coalition advisers continued to be helping out with the
Mosul operation. A U.S. Special Forces unit was filmed
travelling into west Mosul. French
forces arrived at the Mosul operations command. British Special Air Services
are also know to be operating in the area as well. Coalition advisers have been
active throughout the Mosul campaign. Now under new rules they are right at the
front to help out the Iraqis.
The new fighting and the dire conditions within west Mosul
are driving out a huge number of people. The United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs counted around 28,400
people having left the west side of the city by March 1. The outflow just
started a few days ago as there were just 8,814 people registered on February
27. That jumped to 21,804 the next day. Most of these people are being taken to
camps in Hamam al-Alil and Qayara south of Mosul. The heavy combat, the densely
populated neighborhoods and the severe lack of services and supplies are all
combining to lead to this exodus out of the city. It is at a much higher rate
than was seen when east Mosul was taken.
Displaced From West
Mosul
2/25/17 84
2/26/17 1,662
2/27/17 8,814
2/28/17 21,804
3/1/17 28.400
As usual when people leave an IS controlled area they are
screened by the security services. The first step is to isolate the men and
boys from their families for questioning and to have their names run through
wanted lists. Informers are often present pointing out people. Agence
France Presse and Reuters were the
latest to write about this process. There have been many concerns and
complaints about the arbitrariness of this system. At the same time the ISF are
dealing with a huge amount of people.
The Wall
Street Journal returned to east Mosul to interview people there. One man
said that his local government was working again, but they needed more time to
be effective. Another complained about having no water and electricity. Some
warned that there were still IS fighters amongst the population. Another
problem was that checkpoints along the route from Irbil to Mosul were holding
up supplies. One truck driver said the trip between the two cities used to take
three hours, but now it could last up to 10. The delay is driving up prices for
an already inflated market.
Finally, Iraqi propaganda was at it again. This time there
was a story
that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gave a speech calling on his men
to flee and hide in the mountains or blow themselves up if they were
surrounded. This speech was allegedly handed out to IS fighters in Mosul. Since
October Iraqi military and civilian officials have been pushing the line that
the Islamic State is on its last legs, that its men are fleeing Mosul, and that
it is defeated. The five months of fighting for Mosul would show that that
there is a lot of tough combat ahead before the organization is expelled from
the city.
SOURCES
AIN, “Daesh bombarding the outskirts of Badush with poison
gas,” 3/1/17
Airwars, "March 1st 2017: Farouk neighborhood, Right side of
Mosul, Nineveh province, Iraq"
- "March 1st 2017: Shaaren Market, Right side of Mosul,
Nineveh province, Iraq"
Bacon, John, “Iraqi troops poised to retake Mosul government
buildings,” USA Today, 3/1/17
Baghdad Post, "Casualties reported as security forces shell
mosque in Mosul," 3/1/17
- “Footage: French Special Operations participate in Mosul
battle,” 2/28/17
- “Footage: US army deploys additional troops in Mosul,”
3/1/17
- “Iraq Federal Police use drones to shell ISIS HQs,” 3/1/17
- "Iraqi Army captures Badush prison on Mosul-Tal Afar
road," 3/1/17
- "Iraqi forces control strategic facilities in Mosul right
bank," 3/1/17
- “Iraqi government constructs floating bridge to connect
Tigris River banks,” 3/1/17
- "Iraqi police foil attack by ISIS suicide bomber in eastern
Mosul," 3/1/17
BBC, “Mosul battle: Iraqi forces cut IS escape route to Tal
Afar,” 3/1/17
Bulos, Nabih, “Iraq’s offensive against Islamic State militants in
western Mosul sends thousands on trek for safety,” Los Angeles Times, 3/1/17
Fox News, "Iraq: Officials recapture new neighborhood in
Mosul," 2/26/17
George, Susannah, “Iraqi forces push toward Mosul government
complex,” Associated Press, 3/1/17
Hussein, Sara, “26,000 Iraqis flee west Mosul fighting in 10
days,” Agence France Presse, 3/1/17
- “As civilians flee Mosul, a delicate search for
jihadists,” Agence France Presse, 3/1/17
Iraq Oil Report, “Inside Mosul: March 1, 2017,” 3/1/17
Al Jazeera, “Thousands fled west Mosul in past 10 days,
officials,” 3/1/17
Kalin, Stephen, “Iraqi army controls main roads out of
Mosul, trapping Islamic State,” Reuters, 3/1/17
- “Iraqi officers find Islamic State members hidden among
refugees fleeing Mosul,” Reuters, 2/28/17
Kesling, Ben and Altaie, Awadh, “In Mosul, Residents Rebuild
as Iraqi Forces Fight Islamic State,” Wall Street Journal, 3/1/17
Al Mada, “Freeing and surrounding seven districts in western
Mosul .. and Americans on the frontlines,” 3/1/17
Mostafa, Mohamed, “Iraqi forces invade major prison facility
in western Mosul,” Iraqi News, 3/1/17
- “Iraqi officer: troops repel attack by disguised IS
militants in western Mosul,” Iraqi News, 3/1/17
- “Islamic State supreme leader’s speech admits defeat in
Mosul,” Iraqi News, 3/1/17
- "UPDATED: Iraqi troops take
over western Mosul district, village," Iraqi News, 2/28/17
Shafaaq News, "Injury correspondent for Agence France Presse
while covering battles in Mosul," 3/1/17
Shakir, Sarhad and Qassim, Ahmed, "Iraqi forces take 1st
district of W. Mosul: Army source," Anadolu Agency, 2/23/17
Sotaliraq, "A Security Source: two children fall to mortars
northeast Mosul," 3/1/17
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,
“Mosul : West Mosul City displacement and response (as of 1 March 2017),”
3/1/17
Xinhua, “26,000 civilians flee western Mosul amid heavy
clashes against IS,” 3/2/17
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