The Golden Division remains the most active unit in west
Mosul. They were still fighting
in Abar and Tank in the center of the front. The police restarted their assault
upon the Old City and received reinforcements
from the Interior Ministry. The attack on the Old City stalled several weeks
ago leading to a change in strategy with the Golden Division pushing up the
middle to try to surround the district, while the police held down the Islamic
State. The Golden Division have not joined the fight in the Old City yet so it
is unclear whether that operation has really renewed or not.
U.S. commander of ground forces against the Islamic State
General Joseph Martin noted
that there the Iraqis are making progress against the Islamic State. Movement
is slow and unsteady, but the Iraqi forces (ISF) are making headway in Mosul.
The general stated that there was no change in air support from the Coalition
since the Jadida incident where over 200 civilians were probably killed by an
airstrike.
The Associated
Press went to Wadi Hajar in west Mosul that was freed at the start of
March. Much of the neighborhood was destroyed. A resident blamed the Islamic
State for taking up positions there attracting air strikes and artillery.
Another man claimed two airstrikes hit a house killing 43 people in February.
Despite it being liberated a month ago there is little aid coming in. There
were a few trucks bringing in supplies but that was it. That meant there were
still food shortages going on just like when IS was in control. The government
has highlighted shops, schools and public offices re-opening in Mosul, but many
sections of the city are bereft of any serious help, and what is going on is
due to the determination of locals rather than aid groups or the authorities.
Crime is on going in Mosul. Yesterday a tire shop in west
Mosul was robbed by men in military uniforms. April
12 an activist and a Federal Police officer reported that people were
looting in areas that the insurgents recently withdrew from along the
frontlines. The police have been arresting people in recent days.
The Nujafis, Vice President Osama and ex-Ninewa governor
Atheel, were still trying to make a comeback in Ninewa. The vice president stated
that the Ninewa Guards would assume security for Mosul after it was freed. That
seems highly unlikely. The Guards originally helped seize some neighborhoods in
the northeast and were then policing them, but rivals of the Nujafis became
jealous and had the security forces expel the Guards and bring up the arrest
warrant that is out for Atheel Nujafi. The city is already being secured by a
mishmash of competing forces. The ISF should have that sole role rather than the
Ninewa Guards or anyone else.
The
National talked with teachers from Mosul. They were forced to work when IS
controlled the city, and had to use textbooks that used military imagery and
terms in the lessons and to teach about Islamic scholars favored by the
militants. Few kids attended schools during that period, and when IS started
charging fees to attend class enrollment went down even more.
The wave of displacement
from the Mosul battle continues to fluctuate. On April 11 around 7,000
displaced (IDPs) reached the Hamam al-Alil screening center. That was up from
5,000 per day the week before. Around 282,000 people have left west Mosul so
far, but the real number is much higher as many people never registered. The
vast majority of people coming out of Mosul said they were fleeing the
fighting. A new camp opened at Hamam al-Alil on April 12 and an extension is
being built to that already since the other camps are either at capacity or
overflowing south of Mosul. People are going back to their homes as well, but
only about 20% of the IDPs since the Mosul campaign started in October have
done so so far. There were many people who stayed within east Mosul during the
battle there that have returned however that were never registered and thus not
part of the official figures.
SOURCES
Anadolu Agency, “Shops looted in ‘liberated areas’ in W.
Mosul: Activist,” 4/12/17
Chernov, Mstyslav and Dana, Felipe, “Street turned to rubble
shows cost of fight for Iraq’s Mosul,” Associated Press, 4/12/17
Coles, Isabel, “Packed Iraq morgue reveals toll of Mosul
conflict,” Reuters, 4/12/17
Iraq News Network, “Nujaifi: Nineveh guards will take over
the security file in Mosul after the liberation completely,” 4/12/17
Laessing, Ulf, “U.S. General Sees Progress by Iraqi Forces
in Mosul Despite Complicated Battle,” Reuters, 4/12/17
Mostafa, Nehal, "Army kills 17 IS members, storm two
districts, western Mosul," Iraqi News, 4/12/17
- “Al-Raad combat force arrives in Mosul as operations
resume,” Iraqi News, 4/12/17
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, “Iraq Situation: UNHCR
Flash Update – 12 April 2017,” 4/12/17
- “Mosul Weekly Protection Update, 1-7 April, 2017,” 4/7/17
Westcott, Tom, “Life in Mosul under ISIL: an education
system in ruins,” The National, 4/12/17
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