- The Media Line - https://themedialine.org -

Long-Awaited Offensive to Reclaim Mosul is Underway in Iraq

The long-awaited offensive to reclaim the Iraqi city of Mosul some two years after the Islamic State gained control is under way. More than an isolated mission to liberate a town that had fallen to the enemy, the operation is being seen as a test of the remaining fighting strength of the Islamic State forces and the capabilities of the Iraqi army to vanquish ISIS once and for all. And for the American administration, the fight for Mosul is an opportunity to demonstrate the success of its policy of preparing local forces to do battle without US troops at their side, even though the US-led coalition will be providing ground and air support to the Iraqi army. A victory by the Iraqis would be a significant blow to the ISIS image since Mosul served as the stage for the original ISIS-leadership bravado and has been held for so long. A large Mosul Christian community that was decimated by the Islamic State as it entered and took over the city two years ago is closely watching developments while officials express concern that as many as one million civilians still remaining in Mosul could be in danger of crossfire, exposure to battle zones or their use by ISIS as human shields. On the first day of fighting, Kurdish Peshmerga forces moved about eight square miles, although their hold on newly-liberated territory was characterized as “fragile” and gains “symbolic” because villages re-taken in the assault had already been abandoned by the enemy.