After freeing Zinjali yesterday the Iraqi Security Forces
(ISF) were moving onto the Shifa
neighborhood. Shifa is in central Mosul along the Tigris River. The ISF
attacked the area at the start of the new offensive at the end of May seizing
several hospitals, but that was a trap set by the Islamic State, which then
drove the Iraqi forces out. An army brigade claimed
it penetrated 50 meters into Shifa. The ISF are also trying to take Bab
al-Sinjar, which is one of the entrances to the Old City district. Shifa and
the Old City are the last two parts of the city that the insurgents hold.
The Iraqi army started a new
operation to take Tal Afar to the west of Mosul. 2 brigades from the 15th
Division seized
six villages to the east of Tal Afar. This came at the same time that deputy
Hashd commander Abu Muhandis said
that they were waiting for Baghdad’s orders to take the village. The Hashd
surrounded the town months ago, but were not allowed to attack it due to
political pressure from Turkey. Since then the government has gone back and
forth on whether it would allow the Hashd a role in the operation or not. For
now, it seems they are being kept on the outside wishing to join in.
June 10 was the three year anniversary of the fall of Mosul
to the Islamic State. The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights noted
that no members of the Iraqi Security Forces have been held accountable for
that fiasco. Up to 800 officers were accused of playing a role including senior
officers. The group said that there are military courts that could try to these
people, but the ruling parties had no interest in doing that. The Observatory
condemned their behavior and called for prosecutions. That will never happen as
the Iraqi government is short on transparency, accountability and justice
especially when some of its own are involved.
There was a ceremony
in the Ninewa plains for the re-opening of a Yazidi shrine. The Sheikh Hassan
site was repaired and re-opened with donations by the community. A total of 4
Yazidi shrines have been rebuilt so far. Most of these were destroyed by the
Islamic State that accused the Yazidis of being devil worshipers. Like so many
other groups they are not waiting for the government reconstruction programs
that could take months, and are taking matters into their own hands.
Unfortunately, this will be the pattern across Mosul and Ninewa as Baghdad has
no rebuilding plan nor much money to spend.
SOURCES
Agence France
Presse, “Iraq paramilitaries make fresh progress west of Mosul,” 6/10/17
AIN, “URGENT:
Liberation of 6 villages west of mountain range,” 6/10/17
Baghdad Post, “Security forces push deep into al-Shifa
district in Mosul,” 6/10/17
- “Security forces starts regaining Mosul’s Mahalabia area,”
6/10/17
- “Yezidis rebuild
50 percent of shrines destroyed by ISIS,” 6/10/17
Khabaar, “Without
the participation of the popular crowd .. Start of military operations east of
Tal Afar,” 6/10/17
Mostafa, Mohamed, “Iraqi forces make incursions in IS’s last
Mosul domain near Old City,” Iraqi News, 6/10/17
Mostafa, Nehal, "Eight killed, five wounded as IS fire
mortar missiles in western Mosul," 6/10/17
Rudaw, “Iraqi army declares Zanjali free from ISIS, reduces
its pockets in west Mosul to three,” 6/10/17
Shafaaq News, “30
dead in a Daash attack south Mosul,” 6/10/17
- “The federal forces counted losses in al-Zanjili
neighborhood in Mosul,” 6/10/17
- “Iraqi forces
incursion into Al-Shifa district and Zanjili liberated Mosul,” 6/10/17
- “Observatory:
After three years .. No accountability for those responsible for the fall of
Mosul,” 6/10/17
No comments:
Post a Comment