Iraq sees near end to Mosul battles, US projects longer term
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. File photo.
In an interview with the Associated Press, published on Tuesday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi reiterated an earlier pledge to retake Mosul from ISIS by the end of 2016, arguing that the extremist group is incapable of taking the battle into next year.
“We have seen the whole organization collapsing in terms of standing in the face of our own armed forces,” al-Abadi said. “The success of liberating a huge area indicates that Daesh(ISIS) does not have the gut now or the motivation to fight as they were doing before.”
Abadi, however, admitted that the battle remains difficult due to the existence of civilians in the middle of battlefields. “”It’s tough, it’s difficult because the security forces tell me they are being fired at from places where there are civilians and they cannot reply in kind. So, this is a very tough thing.”
On the other hand, a US State Department spokesperson, John Kirby, said the difficult battle in Mosul would take a longer term. “We are, as we’ve said many times, making significant progress against this terrorist group, but we also acknowledge that this is going to be a long-term fight,” Kirby said in a daily press briefing on Monday following a meeting from representatives from the 68-state Global Coalition to Counter ISIL. “It’s going to require constant international cooperation and pressure and the application of maximum pressure indeed to sustain the momentum achieved to date.”
Iraqi forces, assisted by popular militias and US-led air forces, have been on a major campaign since October to clear the city of Mosul from ISIS militants.
Brig. Gen. Yahia Rasoul, a spokesperson for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command leading the battles in Mosul, said earlier this week that the forces had become in control of 50 percent of the province of Nineveh, where Mosul is located.