The Iraqi military
has talked Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi into attacking the last remaining
territories held by the Islamic State simultaneously. Those are the Shirqat in northern
Salahaddin, Hawija in southern Kirkuk, and west Anbar. The Iraqi forces are
moving into position, although political disputes with the Kurds are
temporarily holding things up.
The Iraqi forces
(ISF) are openly talking about taking on Anbar, Kirkuk and Salahaddin all at the same time.
After Tal Afar in western Ninewa was liberated, some commanders were pushing for invading the last Islamic State lands in one big push. One of
those was General Sami al-Aridhi of the Counter Terrorism Forces, also known as
the Golden Division. Aridhi argued that the militants were defeated, and
attacking them in multiple areas all at once would be the finishing blow. Those
commanders have one the day and the ISF are now moving into position in all
three provinces.
(Institute for the
Study of War)
Iraqi units from
Ramadi, Fallujah, and Baghdad are all heading west in
Anbar. The Iraqi Air Force has also picked up its bombing of Islamic
State positions. There have also been regular sweeps through the western half
of the province in shaping operations before the big push comes. The latest was
on September 5 involving the army and Tribal Hashd units looking to cut IS supply
lines. British and American forces are going to support the Iraqis as they have in all the latest offensives. Anbar was the
first province where the militants seized territory starting with Fallujah in
January 2014. They have held onto the western towns of Ana and Qaim along the
Euphrates river in northwest Anbar since then.
(Al Waght)
Hawija is the
largest section of Iraq, which the insurgents still hold. As soon as Tal Afar
was done in August, the ISF began sending its forces there. What’s been holding
things up is disputes between the Kurds and the central government. Prime
Minister Abadi said that the Peshmerga would take part in the Hawija operation, but apparently,
nothing has been worked out between them yet. Besides coordinating, the
Peshmerga are also objecting to the Hashd being part of the attack. The Kurds and joint forces
worked together on the Mosul campaign. There were complaints on both sides about
that, but it worked out. The two will have to do the same on Hawija.
(Liveuamap)
Finally, Shirqat,
which is nearby Hawija will be assaulted as well. The Salahaddin Operations
Command said the preparations are completed already. Forces are in place, and are just waiting for the details
surrounding Hawija to be resolved.
The start dates for
these three areas may not be exactly the same, but they will all start around
the same time. In Tal Afar, the Islamic State barely put up a fight, and when
resistance finally stiffened, it was broken in just a day. Hawija, Shirqat, and
west Anbar are all similar terrain meaning there is plenty of open space, which
the militants will not defend much, since they will be exposed to artillery and
air strikes. The towns are not very built up either denying them the urban terrain
they used to such great effect in Mosul. Once these battles are done, all of
Iraq will be liberated. The Iraqis will then have to switch to counter
terrorism and counter insurgency as IS is already rebuilding its networks in
several governorates.
SOURCES
Baghdad Post,
“Hawija battle to coincide with western Anbar operations in Sep 20,” 9/10/17
- “Security forces
prepare to retake Salahuddin’s Shirqat from ISIS grip,” 9/9/17
Al Baghdadiya News,
“Kurdistan: Peshmerga will not participate in the restoration of Hawija without
prior agreement with Baghdad,” 9/8/17
Bas News, “Iraqi
Jets Drop Leaflets over Hawija, Urging IS Militants to Surrender,” 9/9/17
Al Ghad Press,
“Source: Peshmerga and Kirkuk Governor refused to allow the popular crowd to
participate in Hawija battle,” 9/6/17
El-Ghobashy, Tamer
and Salim, Mustafa, “Iraqi military reclaims city of Tal Afar after rapid
Islamic State collapse,” Washington Post, 8/27/17
Al Mada, “The cities
of western Anbar are preparing for a military operation coinciding with the
liberation of Hawija,” 9/10/17
- “Kurds in Kirkuk:
No coordination with the Peshmerga to free Hawija,” 9/9/17
Mostafa, Nehal,
“Peshmerga denies cooperation with army over Hawija offensive,” Iraqi News,
9/10/17
New Sabah, “Military
units are moving towards the west to liberate them from terrorist gangs,”
9/10/17
Rudaw, “Abadi blames
Peshmerga fragmentation for delay in Hawija op,” 9/6/17
- “Military
reinforcements and aerial bombardment as a prelude to storming the last
strongholds of Daash in Iraq,” 9/8/17
Shafaaq News,
“Abadi: We will coordinate with the Peshmerga in the Battle of Hawija,” 9/6/17
Sherwani, Leyla, “US
Troops Preparing for Hawija Battle: Reports,” Bas News, 9/9/17
Wardana, “A
pre-emptive security crackdown launched on Daash to cut supplies in western
Anbar province,” 9/5/17
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