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[Zackat]

Nice, thanks for keeping us updated.

 

[Nrocinu777]

Thanks to everyone for posting all the updates and keeping us up to date.

 

[TacticalHotdog]

Where do you guys get those detailed coverage and maps and so on? Read through the last page which was very tense. Glad they made so much progress during the last months.

The map above your post is from this site:
http://isis.liveuamap.com/

BBC posted an interesting 360 video from the perspective of an Iraqi Mi-28 attack helicopter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKseZzSL2jM

 

[RustyNails]

Old Mosul seems like a complete deathtrap. It's a stalemate for weeks.

It seems like ISF lost the hospital today as well.

 

[TacticalHotdog]

There's some footage going around of Iraqi Forces allegedly using White Phosphorus in the city, though they claim it was just smoke rounds. Either way, officials say they will investigate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4vL51RQjKs

Buzzfeed put up an article about ISOF and the toll the war with ISIS has taken on them.

Haider recounts the difficult years the special forces have faced since 2011, when the Obama administration pulled US troops from the country, bringing the Iraq War to an end. It had seemed like AQI was on the back foot then, and the special forces were able to focus on hunting terrorists. But with the Americans gone, Iraq descended further into sectarianism, with then–prime minister Nouri al-Maliki working to purge the government and security forces of Sunnis. As the country splintered, the regular army and police started losing territory to AQI’s offshoot, ISIS. First the militants began taking parts of Anbar Province in early 2o14, and then came Mosul.

The special forces were forced to fill the void left by the army’s retreat. They found themselves fighting like infantry soldiers. No longer able to practice the kind of pre-mission intelligence and planning they had been trained to carry out, fighters were dying by the dozen. “Back then we were not used to city fights. We were trained to do special operations,” Haider says. “We lost a lot of good fighters, fighters the Americans had trained and invested a lot in.”

The turning point came in May 2015, when ISOF was forced to retreat from the last sliver of territory it held in Anbar’s capital, Ramadi. Iraqi and US military planners took the opportunity to regroup. They spent two months revising their strategy; they would focus on retaking territory slowly and methodically — grabbing a small piece, isolating it, and then pushing on. Armed with better weapons and improved communications, they retook Ramadi in January 2016 and from there spearheaded the liberation of the rest of Anbar before moving on to Mosul. Gen. Haider won’t say how many men the special forces have lost to ISIS. “Our soldiers are tired,” he says. “It’s been a long time. They’ve fought in every spot in the country.”

Arkan says that over the hundreds of missions his elite team of commandos carried out during the Iraq War, they suffered very few casualties. “My old boys they were good,” he says. “We literally had a zero casualty rate. We had more killed in action because of accidents than actually in a gunfight.”

I ask how many are still alive after three years fighting ISIS, and he pauses. “Pretty much I have lost every single best friend that I have into this war,” he says.

When ISIS finally loses all of its territory in Iraq, its fighters will blend back in with the civilian population and renew their focus on terrorism, says Michael Knights, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who advised the US military during the Iraq War. This would make the original mission of the special forces more important than ever, he adds — but to carry it out, after all the losses they have taken, they would need to be rebuilt. This would require Washington and Baghdad to cooperate on an expansive new effort — along with a major US commitment of trainers and funds. Ideally, America would also continue working to build up the rest of the security forces so ISOF can focus on counterterrorism. Knights has been in discussions with the Trump administration on its post-Mosul plans and believes this is one of the most important foreign policy questions it will face. He points out that Trump’s national security team is dominated by Iraq War veterans — such as Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, National Security Adviser H.R. McMasters, and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly — who share the president’s suspicion of Iran. “The challenge for these veterans is to overcome the basic skepticism of the president himself over the value of pouring more US blood and treasure into Iraq,” he says. “But the generals are slowly winning this fight, in part because supporting the Iraqi security forces is not just about stopping ISIS from coming back — it’s also about limiting Iran’s influence in Iraq.”

After the US left Iraq in 2011, the special forces risked sliding into the same sectarian abyss that now threatens the country. In carrying out his political purges, Maliki often used them behind the scenes, arresting targets and, according to some accusations, even killing them. “They started to be involved in political scandals,” Knights says. “Part of the special forces ethos in Iraq was that you’re going to do what the top guy wants. You’re his chosen people — you get the best equipment, housing, and pay — and you don’t get that for nothing. But in this war [with ISIS] they have rebuilt their reputation.”

The narrative that the special forces have now built as the saviors of the country gives them the chance to be a unifying force after Mosul, Knights says. But there is another story being pushed in Iraq, by the Shiite militia and their allies, who claim they’re the ones who own the future of the country. In the national emergency that followed Mosul’s fall in the summer of 2014, the militia rose up to help stop ISIS’s advance and have played a key role in battles across the country. Though their involvement in Mosul has been limited, they are keen to paint themselves as the heroes of the battle there, and they are backed by a powerful propaganda machine. “The key point is that out of this war there are only two forces that the Iraqi people trust. A significant portion of the country believe the [Shiite militia] stepped up when the army was down. And then there was ISOF,” Knights says. “That offers us a clear policy choice as Americans. If we don’t want Iran and the militia to take over, then we’ve got to support the other force that Iraqis have rallied behind. We’ve got one throw of the dice left.”

https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikegiglio/on-the-front-lines-of-the-fight-with-isis
Major Salam, the ISOF officer in the center of the photo above, is currently in the US undergoing an officer's training program, but his replacement, Major Ali Taleb, was killed by an ISIS sniper on April 17th

 

[TacticalHotdog]

Iraqi Security Forces have finally begun their assault into the old city

Over the past eight months the militants have been gradually corralled into the Old City -- an area of little more than a square mile on the western banks of the Tigris River.

The loss of their last foothold in Mosul, once the largest city the militants controlled, will strike a huge symbolic blow to the Islamic State. It was in the Old City’s Great Mosque of al-Nuri that the group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the formation of a caliphate three years ago.

Since then the group has lost the majority of its territory in Iraq, while an offensive for Raqqa, the Islamic Sate’s Syrian capital, began last month.

However, despite the losses few expect an easy fight for the last few inches of Mosul, where the U.N. estimates that as many as 150,000 civilians remain trapped.

The tiny lanes of the Old City make the terrain particularly challenging for Iraqi forces, as they can’t enter many areas with their armored vehicles. Much of the fighting will have to be done on foot.

“This is their forward defense line so there’s fierce resistance,” said Lt. Gen. Abdelwahab al-Saedi, deputy head of the counterterrorism forces, at a base in western Mosul. “They are using the mortar shells heavily.”

As the assault began, so did the inevitable casualties. Minutes after Omran and his unit left for the front came a crackle over the radio. “Our gunner is injured — we need another,” came the voice of one officer.

While the counterterrorism forces lead the assault into the center of the Old City, moving east toward the river, army and police forces are supporting their flanks.

On the other side of the front lines, terrified families are trapped in their houses. Sheltering in crowded basements, many have not seen sunlight for weeks. Humanitarian agency workers have urged Iraqi and coalition forces to use caution and restrain the use of heavy weaponry.

“The buildings of the old town are particularly vulnerable to collapse even if they aren’t directly targeted, which could lead to even more civilian deaths than the hundreds killed so far in airstrikes across the rest of the city,” said Nora Love, the International Rescue Committee’s acting country director.

Iraqi commanders and the U.S.-led coalition say they are taking into account the integrity of the buildings and the fact that the militants are using civilians as shields as they carry out strikes. Still, civilians who have managed to dodge Islamic State snipers to flee, and those still trapped inside, say civilians are dying every day in the bombardment.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...a519335381c_story.html?utm_term=.dbf8297e5ada

 

[TacticalHotdog]

The Great Mosque of al-Nuri, where IS leader Abubakr al-Baghdadi made his infamous speech declaring the creation of a caliphate, has been destroyed. Before the rise of ISIS, it was one of the biggest historical landmarks of Mosul. Iraqi Forces claim ISIS blew it up while ISIS claims that an airstrike blew it up. Counter Terrorism Service units were reportedly only 50 meters away and closing in on it.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40361857
https://twitter.com/Mustafa_salimb/status/877605236839391232

 

[TacticalHotdog]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsOkWgzgW-o
Footage from VICE of fleeing civilians and the regular Iraqi army making a push towards the Old City.

 

[The Hamburglar]

was watching some latest videos of kurdish forces and they are using barret .50 cals and modern camo.

good to see weapons in the right hands.

 

[Joezie]

The battle is perhaps days away from ending.

Iraqi forces edged through the final streets of Islamic State territory in the city of Mosul on Tuesday as dazed and malnourished civilians were evacuated to safety.

The militants are cornered in a shrinking rectangle of land in Mosul's Old City, and local commanders say they expect to declare victory against the Islamic State here by the end of the week.

Elite Iraqi rapid-response forces said Tuesday that they were calling in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes at close quarters as Iraqi special forces moved door to door, evacuating civilians who had cowered in their homes through the final, terrifying assault.

Commanders said Tuesday that fighting in the Old City is now taking place at such close quarters that Iraqi special forces have been able to lob grenades at the militants.

Counterattacks are still a thing, mostly through sleeper cells that the Police have been mostly dealing with effectively.

AP also uploaded some Drone footage of the Old City.

 

[RustyNails]

It's almost over.

 

[Joezie]

ISIS Families are in the fight as a whole now. Human shield use is skyrocketing.

Iraqi commanders say female Islamic State militants are firing on their forces and using children as human shields as the extremist group defends its last sliver of Mosul's Old City.

The militants' use of human shields has repeatedly slowed Iraqi advances throughout the nearly nine-month offensive to retake the country's second largest city, and the commanders' frustration was on display as they watched surveillance footage from the front lines.

"The women are fighting with their children right beside them," Lt. Gen. Sami al-Aridi said as he was briefed by an officer holding a tablet computer showing drone imagery. "It's making us hesitant to use airstrikes, to advance. If it weren't for this we could be finished in just a few hours."

 

[Fergie]

Incredible that Mosul is nearly liberated.

 

[TarNaru33]

Incredible that Mosul is nearly liberated.

I know they aren't the U.S military, but them taking months to reclaim one city even if it is a large one is pretty frustrating to observe.

 

[Fergie]

I know they aren't the U.S military, but them taking months to reclaim one city even if it is a large one is pretty frustrating to observe.

I would assume it's a pretty complex operation to undergo. Tons of civilians trapped and being used as shields.

So it's not surprising it's taking long.

 

[StayDead]

I know they aren't the U.S military, but them taking months to reclaim one city even if it is a large one is pretty frustrating to observe.

My friend who served in Iraq and Afghanistan said it's a modern day Stalingrad.

It's so largely fortified and dangerous that the people attacking can only realistically take one or two buildings a day which has been for the most point all that's been happening

It's almost the perfect setting for a group like ISIS to fight in, it allows them to use urban guerilla tactics to their full advantage and delay the liberating forces as long as possible.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

I know they aren't the U.S military, but them taking months to reclaim one city even if it is a large one is pretty frustrating to observe.

ISIS fighters are completely dug in, the combat is so close that airstrikes and artillery are counterproductive. This really is door to door, room to room fighting to clear out and enemy waiting for them. Stretching this out and not rushing it is better for the Iraqi forces. ISIS fighters have nowhere to go, it is a siege.

 

[TarNaru33]

Good points, I know one of the battles for Fallujah took like 2-3 weeks or something. Still they been going at this battle since Obama was in office, makes them look incompetent even if it is booby-trapped and dug in.

 

[TacticalHotdog]

Good points, I know one of the battles for Fallujah took like 2-3 weeks or something. Still they been going at this battle since Obama was in office, makes them look incompetent even if it is booby-trapped and dug in.

Mosul is a lot more densely packed than Fallujah. According to a census in 2007, Fallujah had a population of ~202,000 while Mosul had a population of over 2 million

This video should give you an idea of what the urban terrain is like in the Old City, which is where the last of the fighting is taking place. It seems like an absolute nightmare to clear with so many buildings and windows packed closely together and streets so narrow that their military vehicles cannot fit through. It's the kind of urban sprawl that seems easy to get lost in and in urban warfare enemy fire could come from any direction

 

[Syder]

I know they aren't the U.S military, but them taking months to reclaim one city even if it is a large one is pretty frustrating to observe.

I believe the Iraqi army are actually ahead of schedule on reclaiming Mosul. When the siege began last October there were estimations of it taking a year at least to retake the city.

 

[RustyNails]

There are like 100 or so ISIS fighters holed up in the last few buildings by the river

 

[TacticalHotdog]

A photo of a female ISIS suicide bomber with her baby in one arm and the trigger in the other which she pulled seconds later

An Iraqi TV station captured the moment before a suspected female Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) suicide bomber blew herself - and the baby - up near Iraqi troops.

She had apparently tried to detonate an explosives vest hidden under her hijab as she passed the soldiers, but it failed to go off until she had walked some distance away, a cameraman for al-Mawsleya TV said.

She was killed along with her child, while two soldiers and several civilians were injured.

The station had been filming the battle between Iraqi troops and Isil fighters and did not realise what they had caught on camera until they reviewed their footage later.

Isil’s use of female suicide bombers in battle, while not new, is exceedingly rare and demonstrates the group’s desperation.

More than 20 female suicide bombers hiding among civilians are believed to have detonated explosives in the last two weeks.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ws-female-isil-fighter-holding-child-moments/

 

[Gorger]

They are going out in a last stand with civilians as hostages and human shields to prolong the inevitable as much as possible. Cowards in the lowest form possible. Soon the city is finally liberated and then they can work on the rest of the occupied areas of Iraq.

 

[Gorger]

A photo of a female ISIS suicide bomber with her baby in one arm and the trigger in the other which she pulled seconds later


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ws-female-isil-fighter-holding-child-moments/

Monstrous person to do that to your own child and the people who are there actually trying to help you. I don't care how brainwashed you are.

It's reminiscent of Nazi leaders poisoning their children when the Russians were at the verge of capturing Berlin. What a tragedy.

 

[Gorger]

I believe the Iraqi army are actually ahead of schedule on reclaiming Mosul. When the siege began last October there were estimations of it taking a year at least to retake the city.

I heard now they are even hopeful they will retake Tal Afar and Al-Qaim before the year is over.

 

[Matrix XII]

A photo of a female ISIS suicide bomber with her baby in one arm and the trigger in the other which she pulled seconds later


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ws-female-isil-fighter-holding-child-moments/

This is just sickening

 

[TarNaru33]

Mosul is a lot more densely packed than Fallujah. According to a census in 2007, Fallujah had a population of ~202,000 while Mosul had a population of over 2 million

This video should give you an idea of what the urban terrain is like in the Old City, which is where the last of the fighting is taking place. It seems like an absolute nightmare to clear with so many buildings and windows packed closely together and streets so narrow that their military vehicles cannot fit through. It's the kind of urban sprawl that seems easy to get lost in and in urban warfare enemy fire could come from any direction

Yeah, I know. Not to mention that forces retaking the city aren't the most integrated units around.

I believe the Iraqi army are actually ahead of schedule on reclaiming Mosul. When the siege began last October there were estimations of it taking a year at least to retake the city.

They couldn't spare more than 50,000 men for it, I guess. Well, if this is ahead of their original schedule, then I can't fault them to much. The battle for Mosul is getting close to a year long battle now. Even understanding why its taking so long does not make it any less frustrating though.

I heard now they are even hopeful they will retake Tal Afar and Al-Qaim before the year is over.

The sooner the better.

 

[Syder]

A photo of a female ISIS suicide bomber with her baby in one arm and the trigger in the other which she pulled seconds later

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ws-female-isil-fighter-holding-child-moments/

Sub-human garbage. We need to eradicate this medieval ideology from the world.

 

[Lakitu]

A photo of a female ISIS suicide bomber with her baby in one arm and the trigger in the other which she pulled seconds later


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ws-female-isil-fighter-holding-child-moments/

Stupid fucking bitch. What a worthless waste of human life.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

There are like 100 or so ISIS fighters holed up in the last few buildings by the river

Can't be over soon enough. And by "over", I mean this phase. It will take ages to clear out all the hidden fighters.

 

[slider]

Stupid fucking bitch. What a worthless waste of human life.

Kill yourself you fucking evil scum, but to take baby too is just... No words. And in her terms, go to hell cos you won't be able to explain your actions to your maker.

 

[StayDead]

A photo of a female ISIS suicide bomber with her baby in one arm and the trigger in the other which she pulled seconds later


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ws-female-isil-fighter-holding-child-moments/

One of my friends fought in Afghanistan and Iraq and he said when they were fighting in the catacombs under Baghdad (iirc) he said a woman did this back then too. She'd actually shot her own baby. The baby was bleeding from the head and she came out of the darkness screaming for a doctor to help. The army were all in their armored APCs riding out the night, but one of the medics felt pity and opened up theirs to leave to help. She exploded herself and everyone in the APC died

There's a few more horrible details, but I'll spare you those. Just hearing the story the way he described it gave me nightmares.

 

[Gorger]

Prime Minister of Iraq declared victory in Mosul.

 

[cameron]

Prime Minister of Iraq declared victory in Mosul.

Seeing a lot of news reports/coverage now. It might new thread worthy, if someone wants to create one.

NYT: Iraqi Prime Minister Arrives in Mosul to Declare Victory Over ISIS

MOSUL, Iraq — Dressed in a military uniform, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived here in Mosul on Sunday to congratulate Iraq’s armed forces on their victory over the Islamic State and mark the formal end of a bloody campaign that lasted nearly nine months, left much of Iraq’s second-largest city in ruins, killed thousands of people and displaced nearly a million more.

While there were reports that troops were still mopping up the last pockets of resistance and Iraqi forces could be facing suicide bombers and guerrilla attacks for weeks, the military began to savor its win in the shattered alleyways of the old city, where the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, put up a fierce last stand.

Hanging over the declaration of victory is the reality of the hard road ahead. The security forces in Mosul still face dangers, including ISIS sleeper cells and suicide bombers. And they must clear houses rigged with explosive booby traps so civilians can return and services can be restored. Nor is the broader fight over: Other cities and towns in Iraq remain under the militants’ control

“It’s going to continue to be hard every day,” said Col. Pat Work, the commanding officer of the Second Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, which is carrying out the American advisory effort here.

 

[Culex]

I always wondered what an alternate timeline where Sadaam was left in power would be like.

The door to door shit is not fun. I wasn't in Iraq, but Afghanistan...mopping up taliban was always brick shitting.

 

[TacticalHotdog]

The Iraqi flag flies over western Mosul

Celebrations are occurring in Baghdad, Fallujah, and Ramadi

 

[Murkas]

Seeing a lot of news reports/coverage now. It might new thread worthy, if someone wants to create one.

NYT: Iraqi Prime Minister Arrives in Mosul to Declare Victory Over ISIS

Couldn't find anything so I'll do it.

 

[RustyNails]

Mosul is liberated. There is no ISIS government in Iraq. But its not over. Expect insurgency and suicide attacks in the coming future.

Also, it hasnt been reported in western media outlets but the victory came at a massive cost to the Iraqi army. Like dozens, if not hundreds of casualties everyday inside the old district.

 

[Cuburt]

Seems like a huge victory for the Iraqi army over ISIS.

Hopefully they can prevent them from being able to regain a foothold in Iraq.

 

[Blablurn]

Many died during this. While the terror is not over we should be thankful of this. Hopefully one day IS will be gone for good.

 

[sphagnum]

Hopefully Iraq can finally find some semblance of stability. RIP to those who died liberating Mosul and the innocents caught in the crossfire.