Iraqi police units held a parade in west Mosul to celebrate
their recent victories. Larger celebrations planned for when the entire city is
liberated (Al Ghad Press)
The Iraqi forces (ISF) continued their advance down the
middle of the Old City and along the south. The Golden Division took Makawi
in the center. It and the Federal Police were also in several other areas fighting
over mosques,
squares, and markets. The Golden Division claimed there was just 400
meters to reaching the Tigris River and the full liberation of the city. While
different Iraqi maps are showing divergent areas under government control
roughly half of the Old City remains to be freed.
A suicide bomber detonated
his device hiding amongst displaced people in Nabi Jarjeesh in the Old City,
which was just seized a few days ago, killing one and wounding nine. The Iraqis
are always on guard against these types of attacks. When displaced men approach
they are told to raise their shirts for example to show that they do not have
explosives on them. Recently IS has been using women as bombers as well because
they are not searched. Still, with the huge number of people attempting to flee
it is inevitable that some of these types of bombings will occur.
Surprisingly the ISF actually took a step back on announcing
the imminent end to the Mosul battle. Federal Police chief General Raed Shakir
Jawadat denied
that he said Mosul would be freed by July 3. There was more to do, and Prime
Minister Haidar Abadi would be the one that would ultimately announce that the
campaign was over. At the same time, the Federal Police and Rapid Reaction
Division were already preparing for a
parade in west Mosul. Flags and banners were being put
up, and the police put on a little ceremony already. The end is in sight,
and the various Iraqi units are ready to celebrate. The fall of Mosul will not
mark the end of the Islamic State, but it will be a huge symbolic defeat.
According to various people living in the freed areas of
Mosul there are IS members in their midst. Zuher al-Juburi, a city councilman
told NBC
News that he believed there were hundreds of insurgents still in the city
That was supported by some civilians who claimed many fighters shaved their
beards, changed their clothes, and melted into the population. People who
talked with NBC said they were reluctant to go to the authorities because they
feared retribution. Others talked about the threat posted by IS families, who
could pass down the group’s poisonous ideology to their children. By the amount
of recent attacks in freed areas there are definitely militants in the city.
With so many people having stayed inside Mosul during the fighting there was
probably no way to screen them all. While there are intelligence units
attempting to hunt down these elements they will continue to be a problem for
the foreseeable future.
The Associated
Press was the latest to report on the toll air strikes were taking on
Mosul. A Golden Division officer was calling in around 20 air attacks per day
in the Old City. Sometimes these have been used to eliminate just 2-3 IS
fighters, raising the question of how appropriate a bomb is to take out that
level of threat. There is also the huge number of civilian casualties that have
occurred. Airwars, which tracks Coalition operations in Syria and Iraq counted
900-1,200 civilians probably killed by air strikes during the entire Mosul
campaign. The U.S., its allies, and the Iraqis have obviously decided that the
gains to be made from using these types of weapons systems are worth that toll
on the people of the city.
The Hashd were still having issues in western Ninewa. First,
they turned
back another attack by IS near the Syrian border. Second, one Hashd brigade asked
Baghdad for permission to move into Syria to eliminate insurgent bases there.
Finally, the head of the Sinjar Council Wais Naif complained
that the Hashd were stopping displaced Yazidis from returning to the district.
Since reaching the Syrian border, the militants have been carrying out occasional
assaults upon the Hashd. That’s one reason why some Hashd units have been
talking about crossing into Syria. The other is many pro-Iran Hashd are already
fighting in Syria to support the Assad government, and would like to continue
doing that in a formal matter as part of the Iraqi forces, which would give
greater legitimacy to their Syrian policy. Finally, the Kurds are angry that
the Hashd are in west Ninewa, because they see it as a threat to their hold
over the area. There has been a war of words between the two sides as a result.
SOURCES
Agence France Presse, “Iraq forces retake hospital near
Mosul’s Old City,” 7/2/17
Bas News, “Hashd
al-Shaabi Presence Discourages Yezidi IDPs from Returning: Sinjar Council,”
7/2/17
Duparcq, Emmanuel,
“Iraq gains ground in Mosul’s Old City as it presses assault on IS,” Agence
France Presse, 7/2/17
Al Forat, "The pouplar crowd repulsed a great attack
near the Syrian border," 7/2/17
George, Susannah,
“Airstrikes propel Mosul gains, despite toll on civilians,” Associated Press,
7/2/17
- “Civilians flee as
strikes pound last of IS-held Mosul,” Associated Press, 7/2/17
Al Ghad Press,
“Commander of the Federal Police renews his denial of the declaration of the
liberation of Mosul tomorrow: There are other tasks that must be implemented,”
7/2/17
- “Federal Police
preparing to announce victory and counter terrorism is fighting in the heart of
the Old City,” 7/2/17
Iraq Newspaper,
“Iraqi Newspaper Reporter In Mosul Continued Combat Situation Until The Third
Sunday Afternoon,” 7/2/17
- “Iraqi Newspaper
Reporter: The Cancellation Of Celebrations And the Postponement Of The Declaration
Of Victory By The Iraqi Police Until Noon On Monday, The Day Of The Declaration
Of Succession By Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi In 2014,” 7/2/17
Al Jazeera, “Iraqi army completely surrounds ISIL in Mosul,”
7/2/17
NBC News and Smith,
Saphora, “ISIS Militants Live Among Liberated Civilians in Mosul, Say
Residents,” NBC News, 7/2/17
New Sabah, “Joint
operations command 400 meters separate us from the complete liberation of
Mosul,” 7/2/17
- “The Sunni Endowment in Nineveh seeks to control Friday
sermons,” 7/2/17
Radio Sawa,
“Counterterrorism forces: Days until the end of the battle in Mosul,” 7/2/17
Al-Ramahi, Khaled
and Kailn, Stephen, “Iraqis prepare to celebrate Mosul victory blocks away from
raging battles,” Reuters, 7/1/17
Shafaaq News,
“Security sources: Iraqi forces are fighting in another square in old Mosul,”
7/2/17
- “URGENT: Federal police commander announces a special
military ceremony for the liberation of Mosul,” 7/2/17
Al Sumaria, “A
brigade in the popular crowd asks permission from Abadi to enter Syrian
territory,” 7/2/17
Xinhua, “Iraqi forces extend grip in IS stronghold in
Mosul’s old city,” 7/2/17
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