General Wolski: The Number of ISIS Militants in Mosul is Between Three to Five Thousand

The commander of U.S. ground operations in Iraq, in his first press interview since the start of operations to retake Mosul, spoke about the progress of this operation, the possibilities ahead, and the number of militants from the Islamic State group in the city. General Gary Wolski stated on October 19 to NBC News that the liberation of Mosul means the fall of this group's self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq: "ISIS has said that Mosul is the jewel in the crown of Iraq and the idea of this group for establishing a caliphate." The commander of U.S. ground operations in Iraq said that without Mosul, "there will be no caliphate remaining. If this caliphate ever existed at all. Therefore, for ISIS, retaking Mosul means a fundamental defeat." Mr. Wolski also estimated the number of militants from the so-called Islamic State group in Mosul to be between three to five thousand. This figure is close to estimates made two years ago regarding the number of these militants during the attack on Mosul. However, the number of militants is not the only concern in the battle for Mosul; their use of hundreds of thousands of the city’s citizens as "human shields" could impact the course of the battle. Reuters reported, citing a U.S. Defense Department official and residents of Mosul, that extremist militants are using people as human shields. At the same time, it has been suggested that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the self-proclaimed Islamic caliphate, may also be present in Mosul. General Wolski stated in the NBC interview that Iraqi security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga have made relatively rapid advances, and the resistance from the militants against them has been "at a moderate level." This senior U.S. Army commander said that Iraqi forces have gained the necessary motivation and, compared to two years ago, "are much more confident." Two years ago, extremist militants from the so-called Islamic State group captured Mosul at the height of their advances in Syria and Iraq. At that time, reports indicated that Iraqi security forces fled the city, abandoning their equipment and weapons without much resistance as the militants approached. It was said that nearly 30,000 Iraqi military forces were present in the city when the militants attacked Mosul. However, General Wolski emphasized that they are now "more experienced" and have learned from their past mistakes. He also stated that it is still too early to predict how long the operation to retake Mosul will last. In this context, U.S. officials stated that it was not possible to wait for all remaining problems to be resolved before starting the Mosul operation. There are warnings about the Islamic State group’s use of chemical weapons in Mosul and concerns in Europe about the influx of Islamist fighters after the liberation of the city. ISIS is using the residents of Mosul as "human shields."