Iraqi Prime Minister: Liberation of Mosul Will Take Three Months

Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, stated on Tuesday, December 27, that the capture of Mosul and the expulsion of Islamic State (ISIS) militants from the city will take three months. He had previously mentioned that Mosul would be under Iraqi forces' control by the end of this year. According to Reuters, Iraqi army commanders cited the need to protect civilian lives in the city as the reason for the slow advance in Mosul. Two months ago, special forces of the Iraqi army, supported by an international coalition led by the United States, began operations to capture Mosul, but there has been no significant progress in recent weeks. The Mosul operation, involving 100,000 Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga, and Shiite militias, is considered the largest ground operation in Iraq since the U.S. invasion in 2003. American commanders in the region have stated that full control of Mosul will be 'time-consuming.' ISIS militants captured Mosul about two years ago, but in this year's attacks, the Iraqi army has regained control of more than a quarter of the city. The Prime Minister's comments came a day after General Stewart James, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said that another phase of Iraqi operations to retake Mosul from ISIS would begin in the coming days. He told Reuters that in this new phase of operations, American forces would be deployed to the front lines in eastern Mosul. The U.S. commander in Iraq indicated that the speed of recapturing Mosul would depend on the resistance of ISIS forces. American advisors are responsible for training Iraqi army forces in this operation. According to Reuters, the unprecedented integration of more American personnel into Iraqi army units will help coordinate enemy movements, airstrikes, and troop movements. Mosul, with a population of about two million, most of whom still reside in the city, has a diverse ethnic and religious composition. The Tigris River divides the city into two parts. The market, old neighborhoods, and narrow streets are located in the western part of the city, which Iraqi forces have not yet been able to enter. In this context, 'nearly 100 ISIS members' were killed in one day of the Mosul battle. The U.S. announced that a new operation in eastern Mosul would begin in the coming days. Reuters reported that the fall of Aleppo has solidified Iran's influence through the 'Shia Crescent.' More than two thousand ISIS members have been 'killed or severely wounded' in the Mosul battle. Reuters also reported that Iran forced Iraq to change its Mosul battle strategy.