Iraqi PM: Mosul offensive going faster than expected
- by Leah Brady
- in Worldwide
- — Oct 22, 2016
Fallon says he "can confirm we are using offensive cyber for the first time in this campaign".
"The forces are pushing toward the town more quickly than we thought and more quickly than we had programmed in our campaign plane", Haider al-Abadi said via a video-link transmission to an worldwide meeting about Iraq's second-largest city taking place in Paris. Turkish troops, which were deployed in Iraq against the wishes of Baghdad, will reportedly play a role in the offensive as well.
The main Kurdish armed group there, the YPG, is the most powerful element in the Syrian Democratic Forces, a coalition of militias backed by the United States and fighting against Islamic State inside Syria.
It is generally believed that hardcore IS militants are still in Mosul with the intention of defending the city, which is their last major stronghold.
Al-Abadi said that "our forces have started to move forward to free this city which was taken by IS over two years ago. The fighting forces are now pushing forward toward the town more quickly than we thought, and more quickly certainly than we established in our plan of campaign". Sometimes, the speed of progress is even faster than expected.
"If [the Iraqi forces] take over Hamdaniya, they will be at the gates of Mosul itself". These militias have threatened to attack US troops fighting in Iraq and stall their efforts against the Islamic State if they come into contact with Americans. We don't know the number of people that will be displaced.
Abadi said human rights violations would not be accepted.
"Full Iraqi unity is shining through and more than ever showing the unity to vanquish terrorism", he said. The Islamic State has sent trucks loaded with explosives careening toward the front lines and fired mortars to slow the Iraqi forces' advance.
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The militants fought back, unleashing at least four suicide vehicle bombs against the advancing forces, one of which blew up after it was struck by tank fire. Commanders have said suicide bombings and other attacks have killed and wounded several coalition fighters.
By extension, this likely will further complicate allowing civilians to flee Mosul, since the Iraqi government, and its militias, have generally not allowed Sunni Arabs to flee into government-controlled territory.
There are believed to be somewhere between 3,000 to 6,000 ISIS fighters in Mosul which is relatively small compared to the tens of thousands of troops now surrounding the city. Here is what you need to know about the ancient Iraqi city.
President of the Turkmeneli Associations' Federation, Aydin Beyatli, said he had been to Iraq before its army, Kurdish Peshmerga forces and global coalition led by the US launched an operation to liberate the northern city of Mosul from Daesh.
Iraqi special forces this morning charged into the Mosul battle with a pre-dawn advance on a nearby town held by ISIS, a key part of a multi-pronged assault on eastern approaches to the besieged city.
The special forces are expected to lead the way into Mosul, where they will face fierce resistance in an urban landscape where Isis militants are preparing for a climactic battle.
The force was created by U.S. Special Forces shortly after the 2003 invasion to hunt down top insurgents and stage commando raids, but its mandate has since expanded.
