By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
 
Iraq has launched an operation to regain control of western Mosul from ISIL militants.
The operation comes weeks after Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul across the Tigris River. On the first day of the new offensive, Iraqi Federal Police forces said they killed many ISIL militants, destroyed weapons facilities, and regained control of several villages. As we speak, however, the battle is still far from over.
It will take some time and the heaviest fighting is likely to come when the soldiers get into built up areas where the terrorist group has been digging tunnels and holes cut through the walls of houses so they can conduct a mobile defense away from artillery fire and airstrikes.
Here, British and American special forces are not leading the fresh offensive. They are not embedded with Iraqi fighting units in the battle either. The forces of both countries are not on the ground, but only limited to advisory and training roles. Meaning, it is the Iraqi government which has the final say on the ground.
As previously, the fighting is as fierce as anything seen in the battle to liberate the eastern parts of the city. The operation is being largely planned by the Iraqi Army that is carrying out airstrikes and has trained and equipped some 70,000 soldiers on the ground. The entire operation is being backed by volunteer forces and Iranian military advisors.
The battle for western Mosul is the climactic battle by the government and its allies to put the last nails in the coffin of self-declared American Caliphate. This might give ISIL an extra reason to hold the city to the last man, but it doesn’t change the fact that its days are still numbered.
Perhaps, that explains why some regional and transregional governments as well as their media vassals, which helped create the monster in the first place, have begun broadcasting fake news that allegedly show videos of young men being beaten and summarily executed by Iraqi forces. They claim this is happening in places already taken by Iraqi troops. They refuse to verify the authenticity of these images though, which is suspicious, criminal, and counterproductive in itself.
To debunk this latest ruse, the battle to liberate Mosul is not an assault against what the regime changers call "the last great Sunni Arab city in Iraq.” This is about national forces fighting foreign-backed terrorism and liberating a besieged community that has no intention to cooperate and sympathize with ISIL and other terror proxies.
To this end, many lives are being sacrificed to ensure the terrorist group of ISIL has no future and no country in the Levant. After liberating many other cities and towns, government troops and Sunni-Shia volunteer forces proved beyond any doubt that they are sacrificing their lives for an inclusive and united Iraq. This has guaranteed their immediate military success and popularity everywhere. They are making similar sacrifices for Mosul. Once liberated, the government will help the local population to return to their homes, rebuild civil administration, and ensure security for all.
The point in all this is that government forces are only fighting ISIL forces in western Mosul, not its civilian population. It is silly to claim that together with Shia militias they are looking for ISIL sympathizers in the Eastern parts of the liberated city, much less clubbing the civilians and shooting them to death on the spot! There are no videos to verify and substantiate these baseless allegations and rumors.
The city belongs to its Sunni and Shia communities and they are the ones that will be living there, actively helping the government to rebuild their state and ensure long-term political stability for their communities. The inhabitants of western Mosul see themselves as about to be liberated - never occupied again, as some media outlets in the West would like to suggest. They are openly helping the government forces and allies to actively flush out the last remnants of ISIL from their shattered communities.