(VOVworld) – The Iraqi army has entered a critical stage in its campaign to retake the western part of Mosul from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). To dislodge IS from its last stronghold in Iraq will not be easy because of the density of the civilian population.
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Iraqi forces advanced to Husseinyah village in the operation to relate Mosul's western part in February 20. (photo: AFP/VNA)
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Mosul is the second largest city in Iraq. It is 400 km from Baghdad on the northern route to eastern Syria. IS took control of Mosul in June, 2014, declaring a new Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
The operation to retake Mosul, launched by Iraq and a US-led coalition in October, 2016, has expelled IS fighters from the eastern part of Mosul. 1,500 IS fighters have been killed over the past 4 months. Mosul’s western part, which is a very densely populated area, has not yet been freed.
Iraqi army gains advantage on the battlefield
The Iraqi army’s attempt to retake western Mosul has made progress. After a week, an Iraqi task force has taken control of a strategic hill called Abu Saif overlooking the Mosul airport and the Hamam Al Alil crossroad on the main highway into the city. The Iraqi army plans to retake the airport as a base of operations from which to liberate the city. Experts say the narrow streets of Mosul make it difficult for armored vehicles to enter the city. The US says approximately 2,000 IS fighters, pushed to their limit in the western part of the city were putting up a desperate resistance. They have broken through house walls to make secret routes through the city. A UN report in late 2016 said IS was stockpiling materials to conduct chemical warfare in Mosul.
Looming humanitarian crisis
The combat operations in Mosul over the past 4 months have created a severe shortage of food, water, and electricity and pushed the civilian population to the verge of a humanitarian crisis. The fates of 750,000 civilians in Mosul are hanging in the balance as the government forces prepare a final push to eliminate IS. IS has planted mines and booby-trapped vehicles along the streets to keep the government forces out and the civilians in. The Save the Children Fund warned Sunday that 350,000 children are stranded in Mosul. Maurizo Crivallero, Director of the Save the Children Fund, has called on Iraqi and US-led coalition forces to protect the children and their families and spare civilian buildings like schools and hospitals while advancing into the city.