Nine weeks after the offensive against Mosul began, the US-backed Iraqi Army has failed to occupy the city.
54,000 Iraqi troops and 5,000 US servicemen supported by 90 warplanes and 150 heavy artillery pieces – were invested in the Mosul campaign when it was launched in October. They proved unable to beat 9,000 jihadists. Aware of the crisis on the Mosul front, the Pentagon has drawn up plans for sending out US reinforcements in the hope of turning the tide of the stalled battle.
According to the Israeli website Debka, a delegation of ISIS chiefs arrived there on Sunday Dec. 4 traveling unhindered from Raqqa, Syria. According to the same source they arrived to discuss how to synchronize the operations of the two jihadist strongholds, after the Islamist leaders occupying Mosul changed course about leaving the city and decided to stay put. This decision followed their assessment that the Iraqi army and its American backers were incapable of bringing their offensive to a successful conclusion.
Barack Obama’ presidential directive ordered US commanders to capture Mosul by the end of December.
The failure so far of the operation against ISIS seems to vindicate the very few analysts who take into account
First, the political, social, religious and sectarian aspect of things, not interpreting the whole ISIS question as merely a “war with barbarism”
Second, the fact that various regional forces wish for the ISIS to survive
Third, the international players who want to possess always an easy pretext for launching new “wars of civilization” and “wars on Islam”
D.K.
Also look
http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/campaign-mosul-november-16-21-2016
