Iraqi police fighting in west Mosul’s Old City (AFP)
The Iraqi forces (ISF) made another advance, while the
Islamic State is down to just one district under its control in Mosul. First,
the army’s 9th Division announced that the Shifa
neighborhood was finally freed. That allowed the ISF to also take the western
end of the Fifth
Bridge across the Tigris River. The Federal Police were still fighting for Bab al-Baid, attacked Bab
al-Lakash, and advanced 200 meters into the Farouq
area all in the Old City. The Golden Division freed Khazraj
in that district as well. The insurgents launched another counter attack into Danadan
south of the Old City, but was turned back. Shifa was a difficult battle,
holding up the Iraqi forces for almost a month. With that finally under
control, IS only holds the Old City. It will likely be the hardest part of the
entire campaign because the streets are so narrow military vehicles cannot
traverse them, the houses are so densely laid out that artillery, mortars and
air strikes will likely take a heavy civilian toll, and the militants have
nowhere to go, and will fight to the death. There are already signs of that as
more than 200
bodies were said to have been pulled out of the rubble caused by ISF air
strikes and artillery over the last few days.
Iraqis are already preparing for life after the Islamic
State. The security committee on the Ninewa council discussed
protecting Mosul and the governorate in the next phase of the war against the
insurgents. It mentioned that it would be based upon intelligence, which would
be used to hunt down IS elements and stop infiltrations. It promised that a
security plan would be implemented in the city after it was freed. While those
plans sound good, following them up will be difficult. There is a hodgepodge of
groups across Ninewa and inside the city itself. None of these groups
coordinate, many are rivals of each other, and have political aspirations too.
Those differences offer ample opportunities for the Islamic State to exploit.
The Hashd were again talking about liberating Tal Afar to
the west of Mosul. Hashd leader Nazim al-Asadi was quoted as saying that
the town would be freed soon after Ramadan was finished. He added that
international pressure, probably referring to Turkey, would not stop things. Currently
the army is attacking the village, not the Hashd. The Hashd surrounded the town
months ago, but pressure from Ankara stopped Baghdad from letting them advance
any further. That’s also why the army was given the final task. The Hashd may
be allowed to join in when Tal Afar is reached, but that is unknown at this
time.
The rate of displacement from Mosul has slowed in recent
days, and there is concerns about their fate. The United Nations counted
417,438 displaced on June 18. The number of people coming out of the city was
down 50%. From June 11 to 17 21,000 left Mosul, down from 43,000 the week
before. The ISF are also taking people directly from west Mosul to the east
using a pontoon bridge across the Tigris. From June 11 to 17 8,300 arrived in
the east using this route. A Ninewa councilman warned that IS members
were escaping by hiding amongst the displaced. He called on the security forces
to step up their screening process. At the same time, the Mosul city council announced
that it was going to expel all the IS families from the city and send them to
special camps to be held. The fears that the Islamic State might return after
the city is freed is leading to these statements and decisions. There is also
the thirst for revenge, and with Baghdad having no reconciliation plan,
politicians and armed groups are exacting their own justice not only on IS
members, but their families as well. This is occurring in other parts of the
country as well such as Anbar and Salahaddin. IS relatives are being
ostracized, isolated in camps, and blocked from returning to their homes and
lives. It is another sign of the divisions that the insurgents caused in Iraqi
society that will take a long time to heal.
SOURCES
Agence France
Presse, “Iraqi forces advance in Mosul Old City, rescue civilians,” 6/20/17
AIN, “Urgent
Liberation of Al Shifa district in the south and control of the fifth bridge
and archeological fort in the right bank of Mosul,” 6/20/17
Baghdad Post, “Iraqi security forces besiege Mostashfa
Jomhuri St., in Mosul’s Shifaa,” 6/20/17
BBC, “Mosul battle:
Fierce fighting as Iraqi troops push into Old City,” 6/19/17
Bulos, Nabih, “Government forces begin storming Mosul’s Old
City as Islamic State makes a last stand in its Iraqi ‘capital,’” Los Angeles
Times, 6/18/17
Chmaytelli, Maher,
“Iraq’s army encircles Islamic State in Mosul’s Old City: military,” Reuters,
6/20/17
Al Ghad Press,
“Federal Police: We approached within 500 meters of Al-Farouq Street in the
center of Old City in Mosul,” 6/19/17
- “Jawadat: Fierce
confrontations with Daesh in the old city in the buildings and electricity
poles,” 6/19/17
- “Security forces
liberate Khazraj area and advance towards al-Hadbaa in West Mosul,” 6/20/17
Harmon, Dwayne,
“Iraqi troops launch offensive against last IS enclave in Iraq,” New Burgh
Gazette, 6/20/17
iMMAP, “Iraq: Mosul Humanitarian Response: Weekly Explosive
Incident Report (11 – 17 June 2017),” 6/19/17
International Committee of the Red Cross, “Mosul, Iraq:
Nowhere safe for civilians as battle intensifies,” 6/19/17
International Organization for Migration, “Iraq:
Displacement Tracking Matrix, Emergency Tracking – Mosul Operations Data
Snapshot: 18 June 2017,” 6/18/17
Iraq News Center, "Mosul Urgent More than 200 bodies
have been exhumed in the past 48 hours, civilians have been buried under the
rubble of their homes by aerial bombardment and artillery, mostly children and
women," 6/19/17
Iraq News Network,
“Mosul security: The next battle in the province will be intelligence,” 6/19/17
-“The popular crowd
confirms that Soleimani is their actual leader and coordinate with Abadi,”
6/20/17
Iraq Newspaper, “Iraqi Newspaper Reporter In Mosul: The
Arrest Of The Daesh Radio Announcer,” 6/20/17
- “Iraqi Newspaper Reporter In Mosul: The Liberation Of
Khazraj And A Booby Trap Inside Republican Hospital Killed Reporter,” 6/20/17
- “Iraqi Newspaper Reporter In Mosul: Ninth Division Freed 7
New Places,” 6/20/17
- “Iraqi Newspaper Reporter in Mosul: The Terrorists
Launched Attack Upon Old City,” 6/20/17
Al Jazeera, “Iraqi troops encircle Mosul’s Old City,”
6/20/17
Karzai, Sergi and
Rashid, Ahmed, “The Battle of the Old City of Mosul runs from house to house
and the militants resist,” Reuters, 6/19/17
Al Maalomah, “Abdul
Ghani al-Assadi reveals information about the distance to the Hadbaa
lighthouse,” 6/20/17
- “Leaders of the
popular crowd announce the date of the liberation of Tal Afar,” 6/19/17
- “Ninewa Council:
Alleged Daesh members flee from the old city with the displaced,” 6/19/17
- “The popular crowd thwarted Daash attack killing eight of
them in Danadan district,” 6/20/17
Al Mada, “Joint forces begin a careful intrusion into old
Mosul,” 6/19/17
- “The military leadership is trying to finish Old Mosul
battle before Eid,” 6/20/17
Al Mawqif, “Special
Task Force II in anti-terrorism forces will free Nouri Mosque,” 6/19/17
McKernan, Bethan “For 100,000 trapped civilians, the battle
for Mosul has reached its final but deadliest stage,” Independent, 6/19/17
Mostafa, Mohamed, “Iraqi forces foil IS attempt to retake
liberated areas in western Mosul,” Iraqi News, 6/20/17
- “Mosul council
deports IS fighters families, cites need for rehabilitation,” Iraqi News,
6/20/17
- “Police kill
senior IS leader in western Mosul, recapture mosque,” Iraqi News, 6/19/17
- “Toddler dies in Mosul camp as good and medicine scarcity
bites,” Iraqi News, 6/19/17
- “UPDATED: Iraqi forces isolate Mosul’s Old City, kill IS
media officer,” Iraqi News, 6/20/17
Mostafa, Nehal, “2,300 civilians evacuated, infant rescued
from under rubble in western Mosul,” Iraqi News, 6/19/17
- “Path to safety from besieged Mosul leads through hole in
wall,” Iraqi News, 6/19/17
New Sabah,
“Destroying Daesh’s defensive lines in the old city of Mosul,” 6/19/17
Radio Sawa, “Old
Mosul .. Fighting face to face,” 6/19/17
Rojkan, Mira, “Iraqi Forces Evacuate Thousands of Civilians
From Mosul’s Old City,” Bas News, 6/19/17
Shafaaq News, “The
Federal Police announce the deaths of more than 30 Daesh in the battle for the
old city,” 6/20/17
- “Iraqi forces have
difficulty breaking into the medical complex in Mosul,” 6/19/17
Shafaaq News-20/17
UN High Commissioner
for Refugees, “Iraq Situation: UNHCR Flash Update – 18 June 2017,” 6/18/17
Waradana, “The
Federal Police moved into Bab Lakash area central Mosul,” 6/20/17
Watan News, “27
terrorists killed and three car bombs destroyed in old Mosul,” 6/20/17
Xinhua, “Iraqi
forces launch alley battles amid fierce IS resistance in Mosul,” 6/20/17
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