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Iraq Says Military Assault On Western Mosul Has Begun

RFE/RL February 19, 2017

Iraq's prime minister said military operations have begun to retake the western half of Mosul, once Iraq's second largest city, from Islamic State militants.

Haider al-Abadi's announcement February 19 signaled the next phase of the operation to rout the militants from their stronghold, an effort that began four months ago.

"We are coming…to liberate the western side of Mosul," Abadi said in a televised address.

"Our forces are beginning the liberation of the citizens from the terror of Daesh," Abadi said, using the Arabic acronym for the group that captured the city in 2014.

Backed by U.S. airpower, and bolstered by Shi'ite militias and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Iraqi forces launched their assault to retake the city in October.

But resistance from Islamic State fighters was stiffer than expected, and the forces succeeded in taking the eastern side of the Tigris River only after weeks of pitched urban combat.

The city's western side remains under militant control, with as many as 800,000 civilians estimated to be in the part of that city.

Ahead of Abadi's announcement, the Iraqi military announced that its forces had captured the villages of Athbah and Al-Lazzagah and were advancing toward the Mosul airport.

Earlier February 19, Iraqi planes dropped millions of leaflets to warn Mosul residents that the long planned assault imminent.

"Your armed forces…are advancing in the direction of the right side, relying on God," one of the leaflets said.

"Get ready to welcome the sons of your armed forces and to cooperate with them, as your brothers on the left side have done, in order to reduce losses and speed up the conclusion," it added.

Other leaflets warned IS members to "lay down their weapons and surrender."

The New York Times reported on February 18 that food, water, and fuel for cooking and heating are unavailable or are being sold at exorbitant prices in densely packed western neighborhoods.

The U.S.-led coalition carried out nine air strikes near Mosul on February 18, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. U.S. special operations forces have been embedded with some Iraqi units, and thousands of American soldiers are in Iraq to provide logistical and other support.

"We are very close to it, if not already engaged in that fight," U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters in Abu Dhabi.

Islamic State militants seized large portions of northern Iraq and Syria in an offensive in 2014, stunning the Iraqi government and showcasing deep weaknesses in the armed forces.

It is accused of numerous atrocities, and has claimed responsibility for major terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere.

Islamic State considers the Syrian city of Raqqa as its capital, and it too is also under siege by U.S.-backed forces and others.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and The New York Times

Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-mosul-islamic- raqqa-syria/28318039.html

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Iraq Says Military Assault On Western Mosul Has Begun