Iraqi forces backed by tribal militias during battle to retake a village from the Islamic State on the eastern bank of the river Tigris, Iraq December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
Dominic Evans, Maher Chmaytelli and Patrick Markey, Reuters: How Iran closed the Mosul 'horseshoe' and changed Iraq war
In the early days of the assault on Islamic State in Mosul, Iran successfully pressed Iraq to change its battle plan and seal off the city, an intervention which has since shaped the tortuous course of the conflict, sources briefed on the plan say.
The original campaign strategy called for Iraqi forces to close in around Mosul in a horseshoe formation, blocking three fronts but leaving open the fourth - to the west of the city leading to Islamic State territory in neighboring Syria.
That model, used to recapture several Iraqi cities from the ultra-hardline militants in the last two years, would have left fighters and civilians a clear route of escape and could have made the Mosul battle quicker and simpler.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The siege of Mosul is now underway. This strategy will make the battle for Mosul bloodier, create higher civilian casualties, and take longer to finish. But for Iran .... I guess fighting and destroying the Islamic State in Mosul is preferable than fighting them in Syria .... and the added bonus is that this battle will be primarily done by Iraqi forces and militias rather than Iranian forces and volunteers .... and all backed by U.S. air power.
0 Response to "Iran Pushed The Strategy To Encircle Mosul So That They Could Trap Islamic State Fighters"
Post a Comment