The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were still concerned about violence
in west Mosul. The Old City district was closed
off and a curfew
imposed on August 8 after reports of Islamic State fighters appearing from
tunnels and basements in the area. According to the Federal Police insurgents
were still a threat in the district, while a military spokesman told Reuters that the Old
City was a military zone and off limits to civilians. On August 9, the police discovered an IS judge in a
basement killing him in a gunfight. An IED led to the death
a civilian in the west, and wounded another in the east. Combat has ended in
the city, but there are still attacks by the militants. These are sporadic, and
mostly occur in the west. There are also hundreds if not thousands of
unexploded ordinance laying around that continue to cause casualties as well.
Civil Defense units continued to remove rubble and bodies
from west Mosul. Mohamed Abdul Sattar al-Hamadani of the Civil Defense estimated
that there were around 3,000 corpses in the west, especially in the Old City.
He noted that 839 bodies had been pulled out in just the last three days.
Another Civil Defense member was quoted
in Al Ghad Press that 1700 dead had been taken out of the Old City and
surrounding neighborhoods overall. This is the gruesome side of the rebuilding.
The Civil Defense units are being assisted by the security forces to remove the
debris and get hundreds of requests by residents to find their relatives who
were killed in the fighting. Their work will go on for weeks.
The United Nations commented on the
differences between the two sides of Mosul. U.N. representative to Iraq Lise
Grande remarked that the east was recovering quickly. Almost all the residents
in the east have returned home. There are only about 20,000 still displaced from
there. Businesses are open, and life is returning. That compared drastically to
the west where large sections were still destroyed, and most people were not
back. That gap is likely to remain for the foreseeable future. The east escaped
the heavy fighting, while many parts of the west were levelled. The continued
security incidents in the west are also scaring many people from making the
trip back.
Preparations were still underway for the Tal Afar operation.
The head of the Tal Afar council Mohammed Abdel Kader said there more than
1,000 IS in the district, 600 of which were foreign fighters. There were also
400 families in Tal Afar, which he was afraid would be used as human shields. Kurdish
President Massoud Barzani accused
all the Sunni Turkmen in Tal Afar of being IS supporters. The United Nations
were making plans
for the displaced coming out of the district. Finally, the Ninewa Council put
up no objections to the Hashd taking part in the operation as long as they were
under the command of the armed forces. Prime Minister Haidar Abadi has let it
be known that both the Hashd and tribal Hashd would be involved. They will probably
remain on the perimeter like the Mosul battle. After the town is freed however,
they will likely move in as the pro-Iran Hashd have wanted to take the town for
months for a number of reasons. First, they believe they are the protectors of
the Shiite Turkmen that reside there. Second, many prominent IS leaders have
come from Tal Afar. Third, it is a traditional way station in the flow of
foreign fighters coming from Syria. These groups probably want to incorporate
Tal Afar into the security zone they are creating in western Ninewa. That has
included expelling civilians, which could happen in Tal Afar. There might be
revenge killings and abuses by the Hashd and ISF as well as happened in Mosul.
Tal Afar has to be attacked first. Whenever it starts it will not be a long
fight as there are not many IS fighters left.
SOURCES
Baghdad Post, “Preparations to liberate Tal Afar’ have
begun: Commander,” 8/8/17
Elmanzalawy, Elwy, "Civilian killed by IED
from IS war remnants in Mosul's Old city," Iraqi News, 8/917
Al Ghad Press,
“Civil Defense: The removal of 1700 bodies from West Mosul,” 8/9/17
Iraq Newspaper, “Iraqi Newspaper Reporter in Mosul: Curfew
until further notice on the right bank,” 8/9/17
Jalabi, Raya, “Islamic
State still a threat as Mosul residents return to city in ruins,” Reuters,
8/9/17
Kurdistan 24, “UN
prepares evacuation of civilians in Tal Afar as campaign against IS underway,”
8/8/17
Al Maalomah, “Tal
Afar Council: More than 1000 Daash are in Tal Afar, including 600 of different
nationalities,” 8/8/17
Mostafa, Mohamed,
“Barzani says Turkmens of Tal Afar loyal to Islamic State,” Iraqi News, 8/9/17
- “Three thousand
corpses remain under rubbles in Mosul’s Old City,” Iraqi News, 8/9/17
Renaud, G.H.,
“Mosul’s Old City under curfew due to presence of IS,” Kurdistan 24, 8/8/17
Rudaw, “Senior UN
official describes Mosul as tale of two cities,” 8/9/17
- “UN: IDPs continue to arrive at camps, fewer go home due
to destruction,” 8/8/17
Shafaaq News, “The
imposition of a movement ban in old Mosul after sudden emergence of armed group
supporters,” 8/8/17
Sherwani, Leyla,
“Nineveh Council Sanctions Shi’ite Militias’ Participation in Tal Afar
Operation,” Bas News, 8/9/17
Wataniq, “Federal
police: the killing of Daash judge in old Mosul,” 8/9/17
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