Post Mosul Liberation Day 18 Jul 28 2017

Reports of the Islamic State carrying out attacks in Mosul are getting rarer. On July 28, an insurgent was killed attempting to throw a grenade at a patrol by the Iraqi forces. There might be more security incidents occurring, but there is still a media blackout in much of west Mosul, which is stopping them from being reported.

The Iraqi army announced that it is joining the Civil Defense teams to help clear Mosul. That will include removing rubble, and dismantling IEDs. While some major roads have been cleaned in the western section of the city, much of it remains destroyed. Some parts of the Old City are still unsafe to do any rebuilding due to IS elements.

The attack on Tal Afar is supposed to start in a few days. A senior security source told the press that the operation would start before September. Army, police, and Hashd units will all be involved, and they have already deployed and are building up forces. The town itself has been surrounded for months now.

The International Organization for Migration talked with three people who survived the fighting in Mosul. The first was a 10-year-old girl whose house was hit by a mortar. Her mom and dad died as a result, and she was trapped inside the building for three days before being rescued by the army. The second was a 45-year-old mother whose house was hit and collapsed on her and her family. Her husband and six children died as a result. The last was a woman named Sarah who was sheltering in a house with three other families when a female Islamic State suicide bomber detonated her device as the Iraqi forces approached. They were all trapped under debris. Sarah could hear people talking, but by the time rescuers arrived she was the only one left alive. These harrowing stories could probably be repeated many times over by others who lived through the battle. There are still hundreds of bodies being dug out of the city three weeks after it has been freed.

SOURCES

Al Aaelm, “Return to daily life in West Mosul,” 7/28/17

AIN, “URGENT A senior source: the battle for Tal Afar begins before September,” 7/28/17

Baghdad Post, “Iraqi army launches clean-up campaign in Mosul,” 7/28/17

- “Nineveh governor to be dismissed over graft,” 7/28/17

Al Ghad Press, "The killing of a Daash member who tried to attack the Iraqi forces in Mosul," 7/28/17

Hasan, Saad, “Can Mosul be brought back from ruin?” TRT World, 7/28/17

International Organization for Migration, “Personal Accounts of West Mosul Victims of War from IOM Field Hospital,” 7/28/17

UNHCR Iraq, “UNHCR conducts shelter assessment mission in West Mosul,” 7/28/17