Smoke rises from fighting in west Mosul’s Old City (AP)
The Islamic State is now down to three neighborhoods in the
Old City of West Mosul. July
6, they held Bab al-Tob in the south, Qurnish, Shahwan, Maidan, and Najafi
Street along the Tigris River. The Iraqi forces (IFS) announced Maidan and
Najafi Street
were seized. The insurgents were still desperately fighting, and launched
a counter attack with 50-100 fighters into Bab
al-Lakash, which was recently freed, Bab al-Tob, and Maidan, throwing the
ISF back on their heels in some of those areas. Still the end is in sight, and
Iraqi commanders continue to try to claim they are nearly done. Federal Police
commander General Raed Shakir Jawadat said
his forces were 99% finished with their combat missions, which contradicted his
own statement on July
3 that they had completed their tasks already. The Golden Division was more
circumspect simply stating
that things were winding down. Yesterday there were a few reports that Mosul
had been completely freed, and Prime Minister Haidar Abadi already
congratulated the ISF on their victory in the city. This is the norm for Iraqi
propaganda that is obsessed with claiming real and imagined advances.
The militants launched a large and serious counterattack in
the Qayara district southeast of Mosul a few days ago, and still hold a
village. On July
5, IS attacked four towns with up to 160
fighters. It seized control of Imam al-Ghabi. The ISF took back half of the
village, but the fighting continues. It was serious enough that the Defense
Minister Irfan al-Hayali went there to supervise
the battle. Former Ninewa governor Atheel Nujafi’s Ninewa
Guards are involved as a senior commander was hit by a sniper. The
International Organization for Migration also temporarily halted
its operations in two displaced camps nearby. ISF officers thought this was a
diversionary attack to draw attention away from Mosul and allow IS elements to
escape. The fact that they seized a town however would contradict the latter
claim as movement not holding would be paramount in any breakout attempt.
July
6 two suicide bombers were also killed in Hamam al-Alil, which is the main
screening center for displaced coming out of Mosul. This could have been the
result of a sleeper cell or IS members hiding amongst the people fleeing the
city.
Returning life to Mosul has its ups and downs. The United
Nations and Australian government helped re-open
the Mosul General Hospital maternity ward, which is on the west side of the
city. Getting these institutions up and running again are important steps to
achieve normality. It’s especially significant because this occurred in the
west, which is mostly destroyed from the fighting. On the other hand, many
people going back to the city have found their homes damaged
and destroyed and need a place to stay. That demand has doubled to tripled the
price of housing. Few residents have any money however. The city council has
called for lower rents, but no one appears to be listening. This is the
flipside of rebuilding. Many people are borrowing money or relying upon others
to pay for basic necessities like food. Covering sky rocketing homes however,
might be outside their limited means. Like the rest of Iraq, Mosul relies upon
the government for most of its income, and while some government workers like
teachers and local officials are back to work, they have not been paid yet.
Private business outside of markets and small shops are also not operating yet.
Together that means there is only very limited income coming in right now.
The United Nations did a damage assessment
of the Old City district in Mosul using satellite imagery. It found that 5,536
structures were damaged. 490 were destroyed, with the rest severely to
moderately affected. While the east escaped most structural damage the west has
mostly been flattened. The U.N. estimated it would cost $1 billion to restore
basic services. There are no studies on how much it will be to repair all the
buildings. On top of that, Iraq has no rebuilding plan in place and little
money. It is hoping to get it from the international community, but it has not
gotten that much so far, which means it will be up to the residents of the city
themselves to put the city back together.
SOURCES
Agence France Presse, “Two Iraqi journalists killed, third
trapped south of Mosul,” 7/7/17
Ahmad, Rezan, “Commander in the anti-terrorism forces: Our
forces are about to resolve the battle of Maidan,” Bas News, 7/7/17
Associated Press, “The Latest: US: Anti-IS strikes have
killed 603 civilians,” 7/7/17
Baghdad Post, “83 ISIS terrorists killed in districts of
Mosul’s Old City,” 7/7/17
- “Security forces fight last hours battle in Mosul,” 7/7/17
- “War media cell announces ISIS’ losses in Old City of
Mosul,” 7/7/17
Al Ghad Press, “Free Najafi area and waiting for the
announcement of the freeing of the entire old city,” 7/7/17
Iraq Newspaper, “Iraqi Newspaper Reporter In Mosul:
Terrorists Are Calling For Attacks On The Iraqi Forces In Maidan, Bab al-Tob,
and Bab al-Lakash,” 7/7/17
Iraq Oil Report, “Inside Mosul: July 7, 2017,” 7/7/17
Iraqi News Network, “The Federal Police begin clearing
another street in the Najafi area,” 7/717
Al Mayadeen, "Iraq: Al-Mayadeen reporter in Mosul: violent
clashes on the banks of the Tigris River between anti-terrorism forces and
Daesh in Maidan," 7/7/17
New Sabah, “500 meters from Old Mosul witnessing the last
hours of the battle and full liberation,” 7/7/17
NINA,
"Security Forces Crack Down Three Attacks To Daesh, South Of Mosul,"
7/5/17
-
"Security Forces Kill 2 Suicide Bombers IN Hamam al-Alil," 7/6/17
Niqash, “Another Sort Of Killing: Mosul Real Estate Crisis
Sees Rents Go Sky High,” 7/5/17
Reuters, “Facing defeat in Mosul, Islamic State mounts
diversionary attack to the south,” 7/7/17
Rudaw, “ISIS attacks village south of Mosul, two Iraqi journalists
killed,” 7/7/17
Shafaaq News, “Federal police: We have completed 99% of our
combat duties,” 7/7/17
- “Minister of Defense in Qayara to oversee the battle of
Imam Gharbi,” 7/7/17
- “A senior officer of the Nujaifi Commandos was hit by a
sniper,” 7/7/17
UN Population Fund, “Mosul General Hospital Maternity Ward
reopens after months of closure,” 7/6/17
UNOSAT, “Iraq: Old City, Mosul, Ninawa Governorate Imagery
analysis: 30 June 2017 | Published 6 July 2017 | Version 1.0,” 7/6/17
Waradana, "Freed entire Maidan area in the Old City,"
7/7/17
Xinhua, “2 Iraqi journalists killed by IS militants
north-central Iraq,” 7/7/17
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