26 Dec 2024
Saturday 21 January 2017 - 12:19
Story Code : 247759

US generals try to save face in Mosul after Aleppo liberation

Sputnik- The recapture of Mosul from Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) has become a matter of honor for Pentagon generals following the Russo-Syrian coalition's success in Aleppo. However, despite the optimistic prognoses of the US Secretary of Defense, the liberation of Mosul is likely to drag on for months, retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok writes for Gazeta.ru.





It appears that duringthe next phase ofthe Mosul offensive, the US-led coalition would not only seek todeal a heavy blow toDaesh (ISIS/ISIL) inIraq butalso torestore the reputation ofthe Pentagon's generals followingRussia's success inAleppo, Gazeta.ru's military expert, retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok believes.
"Three months ago, when the operation toliberate Mosul fromDaesh terrorists began, the outgoing US Secretary ofDefense Ashton Carter said that it could be complete before2017 begins. However, this has not happened yet and there is still a long way togo beforethe terrorists are defeated," Khodarenok noted inhis recent op-ed.


However, this fact has not prevented Carter fromgiving reporters yet another prognosis: duringa January press briefing, the US Secretary ofDefense assumed that Mosul could be recaptured fromterrorists beforeBarack Obama leaves office.


According tothe retired colonel, the liberation ofMosul is meant tobecome the US' response tothe success ofthe Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Russian military forces inthe Syrian city ofAleppo.
"The coalition's major efforts are now focused onthe liberation ofthe eastern part of [Mosul], blocking Daesh's communications fromthe south and north-west, undermining the terrorist group's command system and reducing their combat capabilities throughmassive air strikes," the retired general noted.


The US Department ofDefense reported Thursday that the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) has already retaken 70 to80 percent ofeastern Mosul.

According toRudaw, onFriday the Iraqi forces managed toliberate two more eastern Mosul districts, Faisaliyah and Nasr, onthe eastern edge ofthe Tigris.

Citing Iraqi Joint Command, the media outlet added that the 15th and 16th divisions ofthe Iraqi Army have also liberated the northern parts ofthe Hadbaa and Mudaraa districts innorthern Mosul.
Still, Khodarenok expresses concerns aboutthe challenge posed byDaesh toIraqi military forces inheavily fortified western Mosul.


As ofyet, terrorists have managed toresist the offensive, although the US-led coalition forces have provided considerable air and artillery support toIraq's army.

Furthermore, despitethe fact that the total number ofthe coalition soldiers is three times that ofthe jihadists, the street fight inMosul could drag onfor months, especially inthe western parts ofthe city, the military expert warned.

Some senior Pentagon officers share a similar stance.

"I had a good chuckle when I heard Ash Carter say last week that ISIS' 'days are numbered'. In fact, its months are numbered. This whole idea that the battle will be overby the time that Trump is inaugurated is a fantasy. This is going togo onfor a long time," a senior Centcom officer told Mark Perry ofPolitico.com inmid-December.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Armed Forces, including the elite "Golden Division," has suffered significant losses onthe battle field. It is regarded asthe most capable fighting force ofthe Iraq Army. Citing his source inthe Pentagon, Perry emphasized that the battle forMosul has been so intense that the Golden Division's veteran battalions have lost upto 50 percent oftheir fighters.

"If that rate stays constant, the division could become combat ineffective ina little overa month, and perhaps even sooner," the Centcom officer noted ascited bythe journalist.
It appears that the terrorist group is well aware ofthe actual operational capabilities ofthe coalition forces, Khodarenok suggested. Apparently therefore, Daesh commanders have "easily" ceded the south-eastern part ofMosul and dispatched their forces toPalmyra, Deir ez-Zor and al-Bab inSyria, he noted.


To complicate matters further, the Mosul offensive has pushed Iraq tothe brink ofa humanitarian catastrophe, the military expert noted.

Since the beginning ofthe operation last October, more than144,500 people have been displaced, the United Nations migration agency reported Friday. According tothe agency, 144,588 people have been displaced betweenOctober 17, 2016 and January 12, 2017.

Moreover, betweenJanuary 5 and 12, some 12,354 Iraqis have been forced tomore, the UN official website says.

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