Iraqi Military Forces on the Verge of Attacking Mosul Airport

On Tuesday, March 3, Iraqi military forces intensified their siege against ISIS in Mosul by shelling Mosul Airport. General Raed Shakir Joudat, commander of the Iraqi Federal Police, announced that Iraqi forces are bombarding ISIS positions at Mosul Airport in preparation for a final assault. According to General Joudat, there are no foreign forces present on the ground or in the air during this operation. A day earlier, the British Times reported that British and American special forces were involved in ground operations to liberate Mosul. Meanwhile, Brigadier General Wael Hosseini announced that Iraqi forces quickly liberated the village of Al-Sahabi located on the southern bank of the Tigris from ISIS on Monday. According to this Iraqi commander, at least 20 ISIS militants were killed in this attack, and several others were captured. Wael Hosseini emphasized that Iraqi forces have completely liberated this village and raised the Iraqi flag over it. He also stated that several other villages around Mosul were liberated from ISIS control on Sunday. In the past two days, Iraqi forces have reclaimed several villages in the southwest of Mosul and have reached the vicinity of the city's airport. The third phase of the operation 'Qadimun Ya Nineveh' (Nineveh, We Are Coming) began on Sunday to retake western Mosul. Iraqi forces have controlled eastern Mosul for about a month. According to General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, Iraqi forces have liberated 123 square kilometers from the south of Mosul since Sunday. Iraqi forces currently control the strategic Abu Saif hill, which overlooks Mosul Airport, located two kilometers from the airport on the western bank of Mosul. General Yahya Rasool also announced that the Hamam al-Alil intersection on the Mosul highway is under Iraqi control. To liberate western Mosul, Iraqi forces must engage in street fighting in areas inhabited by nearly 750,000 civilians. Mosul is the last major ISIS stronghold in Iraq, having fallen under ISIS control in the summer of 2014. There are 60,000 forces involved in the Mosul battle, including 10,000 Kurdish Peshmerga. It is estimated that there are about 10,000 ISIS fighters in Mosul, of which 3,000 are not Iraqi nationals. In this context, the Iraqi Prime Minister announced the start of operations in western Mosul, stating that the Iraqi army has reached 'five kilometers from Mosul Airport.' General Mattis: The U.S. is not going to control Iraqi oil. The advance of Iraqi forces towards Mosul Airport continues.