After ISIS captured the city in 2014, Iraqi forces are launching a final push to liberate Mosul from jihadist control. The city had become a humanitarian problem as U.N. personnel fear that Islamic state fighters are using civilians as human shields. Iraqi soldiers are working against the clock to eradicate Islamist fighters in the city to be able to save civilian lives.
What is the strategy of the Mosul offensive?
The Iraqi military launched its offensive against ISIS for the past eight months. At the moment, only the city of Mosul remains as the last major Islamic State stronghold in Iraq.
If the Iraqi military manage to liberate the city, it will be a definitive victory in the war against ISIS. However, the offensive became a major focus of military planning due to information that more than 100,000 civilians are still trapped inside the war-torn city.
With the support of U.S. advisers, the Iraqi Army managed to drive out ISIS militants from major parts of the city and is now on the last leg of the Mosul offensive. Only a few ISIS fighters are left inside the city but they are using human shields for protection. The Iraqi army is adamant on limiting civilian casualties and collateral damage. A policy that will hamper the rapid destruction of ISIS troops in Mosul.
Mosul had become a significant "trophy" for the fight against ISIS that capturing it will mean victory for the coalition.
According to Lt. Gen. Abdul Yar Allah, the Iraqi special forces, the police and army are all working to defeat ISIS fighters that have invaded their lands and took hostage their city.
What is the next move after gaining victory in Iraq?
The main objective of the Iraqi military is to flush ISIS fighters out of its borders and strengthen its defenses against terrorists attacks.
This is the main policy set in place by the U.S. led coalition fighting ISIS. With the redeployment of 3,000 - 5,000 troops in Afghanistan, the level of direct American participation in the fight against ISIS will increase considerably.
In Syria, the Raqqa offensive is gaining speed as U.S. backed Syrian troops are also on the last phase of its attack.
ISIS militants have been forced into a few cramp neighborhoods, as most of the city are already in Kurdish hands. It is just a matter of time that the U.S. led coalition against ISIS will finally gain a defining victory. The war against terror is slowly inching towards having a positive and optimistic conclusion.
