Mosul Campaign Day 202, May 6, 2017

Families taking boats across the Tigris from west to east Mosul. Flooding has taken down the one pontoon bridge across the river in the city (Reuters)

The new northern thrust into west Mosul paid more dividends. The last section of the Mesherfa neighborhood was freed, along with Kanisa and Harmat 1. There were reports of fighting going on in some of the recently liberated areas. That is normal as the Islamic State often retreats and then re-infiltrates into a sector of the city. On April 28, the chief of staff of the army General Osman al-Ghanami said that the battle for Mosul would be over in three weeks. On May 6, he upped that to just a few days. This is common Iraqi propaganda. The War Media Cell told the press that the campaign was going according to plan and that losses had been within expected limits. It went on to attack social media claiming that lies and fabrications were being spread about the battle. The Iraqi military has been increasingly defensive about any criticism of its work. The deputy head of the security committee in parliament said that the Islamic State’s defenses were broken in northwestern Mosul leading to a much quicker advance. The new advance into northern Iraq has stretched the Islamic State’s forces. For most of the fight it has relied upon relatively small units to hold up the Iraqi forces. Now its forces are spread between both the center and northern section of the city. The Iraqis could be making even faster progress if they could coordinate better and attack along all fronts at the same time. Right now all the movement is in the north and there is little going on in the center and Old City in the east.

Mosul Campaign Day 201, May 5, 2017

Comparison of Mosul 5/4/17 vs 5/5/17 showing the new thrust by the Iraqi forces into the northern section of the city (Ninewa Media)

The spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command General Yahya Rasool told the press that the new northern attack upon Mosul caught the Islamic State off guard. The insurgents were not able to build adequate defenses, which has led to a swift advance. This is being made by the 9^th Division and units from the Rapid Reaction Division and Federal Police. The police were fighting in Harmat, which was declared freed the day before. In the center of west Mosul, the Federal Police were also pushing into Zinjali by the Old City. The Iraqis originally claimed this new offensive started on May 1, but that now appears to not have occurred and was another example of Iraqi propaganda and exaggeration. The goal is to cut through the north and reach the Tigris River. The northern front will then connect with the Iraqi forces in the center, and then take the Old City at the end.

Mosul Campaign Day 200, May 4, 2017

The New York Times had a great article on the decision behind the new offensive in northwest Mosul. In mid-April Prime Minister Haider Abadi held a conference with his commanders in Hamam al-Alil. The premier argued that the operation was dragging out, and that only benefited the Islamic State, therefore a change was needed. The officers then debated who should be responsible for the new thrust, since most of their forces had been involved in the fight since the start, and had suffered heavy losses as a result. Two main issues were brought up. First, was that the army had not taken part in any of the fighting in west Mosul, only the Golden Division, Rapid Reaction Division, and Federal Police had. Second, some believed the Federal Police were not holding up their responsibilities as they have been stuck in the Old City for two months now. Finally, the decision was made that the army’s 9^th Division would attack the city from the north. Previously it had been working with the Hashd’s Al-Abbas Division in clearing the Badush district. After that was accomplished in April it simply sat outside the city. The plan is to push into Mosul from the north and south to spread out the Islamic State’s fighters. The Old City will be freed last. While the Iraqis have improved, it seems that they still have work to do in coordinating their forces. A lot of that has to do with the divided command the Iraqi forces (ISF) fight under. The Federal Police and Rapid Reaction Division answer to the Interior Ministry, the army to the Defense Ministry, the Golden Division is a separate entity, which is directly under the prime minister, and the Hashd are a confederation of separate units. This caused problems in east Mosul when the Golden Division was told to attack the city by itself because the army hadn’t caught up, and then when it finally arrived, there was a lack of cooperation initially. These issues still need to be worked out as the army could have attacked Mosul long ago.

Mosul Campaign Day 199, May 3, 2017

The Iraqi forces (ISF) are still stuck in the Old City district of west Mosul. The Rapid Reaction Division and Federal Police attacked the Maidan neighborhood. The police were said to have taken some streets in the Old City. The Joint Operations Command also claimed that a new push was being planned into the district. The ISF are always talking about a new offensive to take the Old City however. That area was attacked in March, and little headway has been made since then.

Mosul Campaign Day 198, May 2, 2017

The Golden Division and Rapid Reaction forces are now attacking Mosul from a new direction, the northwest in 17 Tammuz (July 17) and Rafai neighborhoods. The Golden Division is also fighting over the Zangili neighborhood which is northwest of the Old City (not marked on map) (Institute for the Study of War)

The major fighting in Mosul was on the new front in the northwest. The Golden Division and Rapid Reaction Division were attacking the July 17, Mesherfa, Najar and the Rifai neighborhoods. The Golden Division was also said to have seized large parts of the Zinjali area to the northwest of the Old City. The Federal Police were battling in the Old City, but that was still stalemated. The goal remains to liberate the rest of west Mosul, and then tackle the Old City at the end because the police have proven not up to the task.

Mosul Campaign Day 197, May 1, 2017

The Iraqi forces (ISF) opened a new front in the Battle of Mosul. Over the weekend the Golden Division and Rapid Reaction Division (RRD) shifted forces from the center and east sections of west Mosul to the Badush district to the northwest of the city. On May 1, the RRD attacked the Haramat and July 17 neighborhoods from this new position. The Golden Division was still fighting over Zinjali, while the Federal Police were battling in Bab al-Jadid and Bab al-Baid in the Old City. The new operation fits in with the overall campaign plan for the police to hold down Islamic State fighters in the Old City while the rest of Mosul is liberated.

Mosul Campaign Day 196, Apr 30, 2017

The Iraqis have moved their forces for a new assault on west Mosul. Elements of the Golden Division have shifted to the Badush district northwest of the city to link up with the 9^th Division and the Hashd’s Al-Abbas Division that have been there for a few weeks now. They seized the western gate to Mosul, and are planning to attack four neighborhoods from that direction. The Defense Ministry estimated that just 35% of the city remained under Islamic State control. The plan for the battle remains the same. The Golden Division oversees freeing of most the city, while the police are holding down Islamic State fighters in the Old City. The 9^th Division and Hashd were supposed to have opened a northwest front in Mosul weeks ago, but halted outside of the city instead. They are finally joining the fight in the city.