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Iraqi special forces join battle to retake Mosul from Isis Iraqi and Kurdish forces close in on Mosul after making quick gains
(about 3 hours later)
Iraqi special forces have entered the battle to retake Mosul, with a pre-dawn advance on a nearby town held by Islamic State, a key part of a multi-pronged assault on eastern approaches to the besieged city. Kurdish peshmerga and Iraqi special forces have advanced to within around six miles of the city of Mosul, after launching a major three-pronged attack early on Thursday against dug-in Islamic State militants.
The addition of the elite troops, also known as counter-terrorism forces, on Thursday marked a significant intensification of the fight for Iraq’s second-largest city. It comes a day after a US general said Isis leaders had begun to flee Mosul, leaving foreign fighters to face the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces. Hundreds of armoured vehicles including tanks and humvees began a large-scale offensive at around 6am local time, the Kurdish peshmerga general command said in a statement. Their target was a series of villages to the north and north-east of Mosul held by Isis fighters.
Maj Gen Maan al-Saadi said the elite forces had advanced on the town of Bartella with the aid of US-led coalition airstrikes and heavy artillery on the fourth day of a massive operation to retake Iraq’s second-largest city. “God willing, we will take this town today,” he said. Heavy guns and artillery trundled towards the frontline village of Nawaran, nine miles north of Mosul, which the peshmerga seized within an hour. According to a peshmerga captain, US and British special forces took part in the operation. The British turned up in white bulletproof 4x4 vehicles and a pick-up truck, while the Americans drove MRAPs, mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles.
The special forces are expected to lead the way into Mosul, where they will face fierce resistance in an urban landscape where Isis militants are preparing for a climactic battle. The offensive is the largest operation launched by Iraqi forces since the 2003 US-led invasion, and is expected to take weeks, if not months. Within half an hour of the start of the operation, Isis flew two drones over the peshmerga and coalition forces’ positions. This prompted a deafening crackle of gunfire in which one drone was shot down. The other managed to get away.
However, speaking on a video conference call from Baghdad, the Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday that Iraqi forces were moving faster than expected. Simultaneously, Iraqi special forces staged their own advance along another major entry point into Mosul. Maj Gen Maan al-Saadi said elite troops had moved towards the largely abandoned town of Bartella, backed by airstrikes from the US-led coalition and heavy artillery. “God willing, we will take this town today,” he said.
Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from several Western and Middle Eastern countries were meeting in Paris to discuss how to restore peace and stability to Mosul after Islamic State has been routed from its Iraqi stronghold. Isis seized Bartella two years ago, during a rapid military offensive which saw them occupy a series of mixed villages east of Mosul in the Nineveh plains. The fighters now appear to be retreating. On Wednesday a US general said Isis leaders had begun to flee Mosul, leaving foreign volunteers to face the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces.
Abadi said all efforts were being made to create humanitarian corridors for civilians fleeing Iraq’s second-largest city, where some 1.5 million people still live, adding: “The forces are pushing towards the town more quickly than we thought and more quickly than we had programmed in our campaign plan.” Iraqi special forces are expected to lead the way into Mosul, where they will face fierce resistance in a densely populated landscape, with Isis militants preparing for a climactic battle and laying booby-traps. The offensive is the biggest operation launched by Iraqi forces since the 2003 US-led invasion. It is expected to take weeks, if not months.
The Kurdish forces, or peshmerga, who are also taking part in the offensive, announced a “large-scale operation” to the north and north-east of Mosul on Thursday. However, speaking in a video conference call to Paris from Baghdad, the Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, said on Thursday that Iraqi forces were moving faster than expected. “The fighting forces are currently pushing forward toward the town more quickly than we thought, and more quickly, certainly, than we established in our plan of campaign,” he said.
“The operation will be in three fronts,” the peshmerga said in a statement, and follows recent gains by the peshmerga to the east of Mosul and Iraqi security forces to the south. After retaking Nawaran, the peshmerga faced resistance at another village, Barima. Despite an airstrike on an Isis position, at lunchtime on Thursday a group of Isis militants were holed up in the village and fighting back.
Peshmerga forces stationed on mountains north-east of Mosul descended from their positions and moved towards the frontline. They used bulldozers and other heavy equipment to fill trenches and moved armoured vehicles into the breach after about an hour of mortar and gunfire at Isis positions below in the village of Barima. Kurdish forces were moving towards the foot of the Bashiqa mountain, their target the strategic town of Bashiqa, once the multi-ethnic home of Christians, Yazidis and Muslims. With coalition jets in the sky above, US and UK special forces mingled with the peshmerga and filmed the operation as it unfolded.
Military operations also appeared to be under way in the town of Bashiqa, north-east of Mosul. Thick smoke could be seen billowing from the town early on Thursday. A day earlier, Bashiqa was pounded by airstrikes and mortar fire from Kurdish peshmerga positions high above. Gen Bahram Arif Yasin, whose unit Brigade 7 played a key role in the offensive at Nawaran, visited the village shortly afterwards. He told the Guardian: “Around 20,000 peshmerga took part in today’s operation on three frontlines.”
The approaches to Mosul run through clusters of mostly abandoned villages where Isis militants have planted roadside bombs and other booby traps. Bartella, a traditionally Christian town which fell to Isis two years ago, is believed to be empty of civilians. The general was flanked by his men. In the distance smoke billowed in the direction of Mosul. “America is an old partner of the Kurds and the American expertise in targeting Isis has been very important,” the general added, when asked about the role the coalition forces had played.
Isis captured Mosul during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in 2014, and the terrorist group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the formation of a self-styled caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque. Mosul is the largest city controlled by the extremist group and its last major urban bastion in Iraq. The peshmerga quickly made a berm in the middle of the road to prevent Isis suicide bombers from slamming into them in vehicles. An airstrike less than a mile away created a huge plume of smoke. It was unclear if the strike’s target was a suicide bomber.
On Wednesday, Maj Gen Gary Volesky, the commander of the 101st Airborne Division in charge of land forces involved in counter-Isis operations, said there were signs that Isis leaders in the city were starting to flee. On a hill not far from the Kurdish general, a middle-aged peshmerga soldier was listening in to Isis radio crackle. “Abu Omar, please give the location,” radioed one Isis militant. The other Isis fighter responded affirmatively. Despite not putting up much of a fight in these villages, the militants sounded calm and composed on the radio.
Peshmerga Delkhwaz Salim, 23, who had fought Islamic State since mid-2014, said: “We will go to Shalalat and Bashiqa and we will not move further. Daesh [Isis] is nothing. If we have operations like this every day we can take control of Mosul within 15-20 days.”
The operation is not without a cost. At least five peshmerga were killed by bombs on Thursday across the three frontlines, with several others wounded.
Meanwhile, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from several western and Middle Eastern countries were meeting in Paris to discuss how to restore peace and stability to Mosul after Islamic State has been routed from its Iraqi stronghold.
Abadi said all efforts were being made to create humanitarian corridors for civilians fleeing Iraq’s second-largest city, where around 1.5 million people still live. In a statement aid groups said the fate of civilians trapped in Mosul – at least 600,000 of them children – “hung in the balance”.
“With the start of the offensive, families face an impossible decision,” Oxfam, Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee, and the Norwegian Refugee Council said.
“If they stay inside Mosul, they risk being killed by heavy weapons and used as human shields by Isis, or being caught in crossfire, shot by snipers or stepping on landmines if they try to flee. Even if they reach safety, there is currently no guarantee that they will be able to get the shelter and the help they desperately need.”
Isis captured Mosul during a lightning advance across northern Iraq in 2014, and the terrorist group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, announced the formation of a caliphate from the pulpit of a Mosul mosque. Mosul is the largest city controlled by the extremist group and its last major urban bastion in Iraq.
On Wednesday, Maj Gen Gary Volesky, the commander of the US 101st Airborne Division in charge of land forces involved in counter-Isis operations, said there were signs that Isis leaders in the city were starting to flee.
“We have seen movement out of Mosul,” he said, speaking to the Pentagon from Iraq. “We’ve got indications that leaders have left. A lot of foreign fighters we expect will stay as they’re not able to exfiltrate as easily as some of the local fighters or local leadership, so we expect there will be a fight.”“We have seen movement out of Mosul,” he said, speaking to the Pentagon from Iraq. “We’ve got indications that leaders have left. A lot of foreign fighters we expect will stay as they’re not able to exfiltrate as easily as some of the local fighters or local leadership, so we expect there will be a fight.”
Iraq’s US-trained special forces are seen as far more capable than the mainstream security forces that crumbled as Isis advanced in 2014. They have played a central role in liberating several cities and towns over the past year, including Ramadi and Falluja, in the western Anbar province.Iraq’s US-trained special forces are seen as far more capable than the mainstream security forces that crumbled as Isis advanced in 2014. They have played a central role in liberating several cities and towns over the past year, including Ramadi and Falluja, in the western Anbar province.
More than 25,000 forces, including the Iraqi army, the peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shia militias are taking part in the Mosul offensive, which began on Monday after months of preparation. They will be advancing on the city from several directions.More than 25,000 forces, including the Iraqi army, the peshmerga, Sunni tribal fighters and Shia militias are taking part in the Mosul offensive, which began on Monday after months of preparation. They will be advancing on the city from several directions.
Associated Press contributed to this reportAssociated Press contributed to this report