Iraqi factions unite to finish off ISIS

[Julius Seeker]

Situated in the North, Mosul is the last remaining major city ISIS holds within Iraq. ISIS have approximately 7,000 troops left in the city of 1.3 million civilians (the city had 2.5 million in Spring 2014 before ISIS seized it). I'll call them ISIS (rather than Daesh or ISIL) for the sake of simplicity.

Factions that are traditionally at odds with each other have formed a coalition to finish off the invaders once and for all. They are as follows:

Military Forces:
Peshmerga Kurdish Brigades (Separatists): 40,000
Iraqi Security Force: 54,000 (rising to 60,000)
French Military: 600
US Military: 500
Canadian Military: 60 medics, 170 special forces, X number of E
Australian Military: 80
Denmark: Air support (39 troops)
Germany: Plans to send 1,200 troops by December
United Kingdom: equipment support

Paramilitary Forces:
Nineveh Plain Protectorate (Assyrian Christians) - ~4,000
Hashd al-Shaabi, The Peace Brigade, the League of the Righteous, & Badr Organization (Iranian backed groups) - ~10,000
Turkish backed Arabic Paramilitary troops (Sunni) - ~1,500

Assyrian forces are likely focused on liberating their own lands in the region of Qaraqosh, in 2014 hundreds of thousands of Assyrians were forced to flee from the region. They would be backed by the Kurds.

Iraqi and Coalition forces attack from the South of Mosul, and Kurdish forces from the North taking 200 square kilometers and 20 villages day 1. Day 2 the Kurds lost several troops to roadside bombs, and suicide bombers.

The Iraqi forces have been battling snipers defending villages further southward.

In the last few hours rebellions against ISIS have broken out in Mosul, they have been working with coalition forces. Rebels and airstrikes have killed about 40 ISIS members in the city.

Despite speculation in reports that there could be conflict between the forces of the coalition - given that some of them are traditionally bitter enemies of one and other - or even Shiites and the Sunni civilians, it has already previously been agreed upon that only Iraqi police forces will occupy the city.



For more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mosul_(2016)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... hold-mosul
http://nyheder.tv2.dk/udland/2016-10-17 ... amisk-stat (Danish, but close enough to English to understand)
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/world ... attle.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10 ... e-to-wip2/
http://www.thehindu.com/news/internatio ... 230466.ece
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37643228
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37679325

[Eric]

Neat, wish them luck, hopefully they don't let the insane shit in the muslim religion dominate the region going forward.

[Julius Seeker]

ISIS is actually doing quite well at destroying armoured vehicles, 144 to be exact. They're being whittled down though, allied forces have killed approximately 900 ISIS militants.

Allied losses: 1 American dead, 30 Kurds dead, 71 Iraqis dead. 800+ wounded. The deaths and the armoured vehicle destruction are mostly from traps, roadside bombs; I am not sure if this is just some new term for landmine, or if there is a significant difference.

[Julius Seeker]

Update: There seem to have been some disagreements between coalition forces

The Peshmerga feel the better strategy would have been to drive the ISIS forces into Syria. It's win-win for them as the rebel forces are out of their hair, and are now Syria's problem.

Shia forces in the Iraqi military and police units decided it is a bad idea to let them consolidate Westward as it would only strengthen their efforts there and postpone the inevitable combat. They want to annihilate them in Iraq and then in Syria.

So the mostly Shia arm of the Iraqi army closed off the western passage. This has caused Peshmerga victory objectives to be delayed. Ultimately though, this campaign will deal a much more devastating blow to ISIS.

US military operations seem to be in aide of the Shia Iraqi forces, as they have launched attacks on the Western Front, including the capture of 4 ISIS commanders at the Iraqi border.

UN are urging non-combat civilians to move eastward out of the city. Not really committing to a side, but rather making the best of the current situation.

Day to day summary reports can be read here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_ ... e_timeline

[Don]

It seems like it'd be quite bloody to take the actual city where the ISIS is entrenched at, and unlike Aleppo bombing everything to the stone age isn't likely an option.

[Replay]

You guys are still buying into this one, eh?

Well, far be it from me to poke bubbles in your dreams at this point.