Declared the operation to liberate Mosul from ISIL militants, which is supported by the American special forces were scheduled to be completed in a matter of weeks, crumbles. The Iraqi army, trained by specialists from the USA, can not reverse the course of the fighting and suffering heavy losses. Realizing that the capture of Mosul is a serious political victory, the us government and the army sent to the area of the elite unit – part of the 101st airborne and 1st infantry divisions, which will break the back of terrorists.
Know the outcome in advance
The activity of the Iraqi army and professionalism in General starting from the moment the U.S. military began to actively retrain the staff, using their own methods. About the combat capability of the Iraqi army for many years in the “polysaccharose” period legends, but nothing good and instructive about them.
The main problem of Iraqi army is still discipline. More precisely, the complete lack thereof and lack of self-preservation from the fighters at the front. If you pay attention to the short reports from the Iraqi front against ISIS, we can see soldiers, hung with machine-gun belts and shooting at full growth in the style of films about John Rambo. Even having the most remote idea of war people will be able to guess what the life cycle of a combat unit in the Iraqi meat grinder will be short-lived.
Similar examples are radically different than what the Armed forces of Iraq were at that time, as the country was ruled by Saddam Hussein. The constant combat training, shooting, sport tactics and is quite decent motivation allowed the Iraqi army to resist the American army during the two military campaigns in 1991 and 2003. What happened with the Iraqi army after the consolidation of the “external control”, it is difficult to describe with decent words.
Staffing, including experienced commanders and well-motivated soldiers, practically ceased to exist. This, and numerous migration charges against the officers and soldiers fighting under the banner of ISIS turned into a monstrous scale humiliation of the Iraqi army in 2014. Mosul is not called “the citadel LIH”, “fortified” and “fortress”, because all possible assistance to the militants was provided directly by government troops.
Mosul in 2014 was submitted to the ISIS almost without a fight, and the Iraqi army generously left radicals of various weapons, including heavy, worth several hundred million dollars. Armored vehicles, antitank weapons, ammunition, communications equipment and equipment – all of these ISIL terrorists have successfully used so far.
A veteran of special forces, Viktor Kochetkov, commenting on the siege of Mosul by the Iraqi army, have noted that LIH in the city is not ragged or yesterday’s peasants, and well-trained and motivated people. “We cannot say that the defense of the city and the approaches to it is hit and miss. They (the rebels) all have been planned and, most likely, been waiting for the assault. When you consider that in Mosul a part of defending terrorists in the recent past served in the Iraqi army, the resistance will be fierce and fight these people will be to the last bullet,” – said Kochetkov.
The Second Mogadishu
Declared the assault on Mosul by Iraqi forces under American leadership cannot be compared with any current operations of the Iraqi army or the Iraqi war of the early 1990s and 2000s. In the first case, the comparison is inappropriate because a serious rebuff of the Iraqi army was given only in Mosul. In the second case, the comparison is inappropriate because the motivation of the Iraqi military then and now are two completely different things.
If to do justice to the assault on Mosul, Iraqi soldiers and military management of American advisers, which manage the operation, direct comparisons with American, Delta operation in Somalia cannot be avoided. “Day of the Ranger” in 1993 when American special forces, 2-I and 75-I airborne division with the assistance of several fire groups have tasted the delights of battle in the city, the level of bitterness is strongly reminiscent of what the world’s news agencies and the Iraqi military watches during the assault on Mosul.
Although as of late November, the American army was not officially involved in the battle, wards are really bad. The assault on the city was prepared as a gift to the outgoing administration and the Democratic party of the United States in General, dense urban areas, civilians whom the terrorists are holding as a human shield while active fire defense, forcing the Iraqi army to make ineffective and bloody maneuvers.
Dense urban fabric and time, the actual “donated” to the rebels in preparation for an active defense of the city, played with the upcoming cruel joke: about the promotion and quarterly sweep is not out of the question, and the columns with light armored vehicles, mostly armored Humvee and other equipment, running into an ambush every 300-400 meters.
A huge number of car bombs, which the terrorists had previously built something like explosive barricades, seriously hampers the movement of troops. Adds fuel to the fire and active rebels had used anti-tank grenade launchers, the number of shots which experts estimate at thousands of units. And even though the official onset of the coalition forces lasted for a month, a serious result is to achieve and failed: ISIS terrorists hold the Fort, despite the regular barrage and air strikes.
Particularly strong cross-fire civilians. In fact, civilians are now caught between a rock and a hard place: the slow progress of the Iraqi army in the streets of Mosul and sniper fire, booby-trapped roads and short counterattack in densely populated areas of the city. A separate concern of the Iraqi army creates suicide bombers. “Shahid-mobiles” – the jeeps with the welded steel sheets, stuffed to the eyeballs with explosives striking elements practically do not attack the government army in the forehead, preferring to come from the flank or from the rear.
The damage from the detonation of such a device is enormous: at one time the bomber can “carry” a whole platoon. An effective means to stop in the conditions, when the target suddenly appears at a distance of several tens of meters, are hard to find: artisanal small arms protection does not break, and the armored vehicles or tanks to capture and hitting the target enough time.
On the side of the terrorists “plays” and technical progress: the skillful use of drones with cameras in real time allows you to adjust the action and to redistribute resources between areas. This method allows the fighters to detect accumulation of equipment and personnel and to carry out attacks using heavy weapons or suicide bombers.
“Government troops really want to close Mosul in the ring, taking the tel-afar, but in this situation make it extremely hard. Therefore, wherever possible, they try to pin down the enemy fighting, easing the resistance,” – said in an interview with TV channel “Zvezda” orientalist Anton Mardas.
According to experts, the reason for the low efficiency of the Iraqi army in this operation is due not so much fierce resistance from the militants as it is unprofessional. “Great progress in training the Iraqi army experts from the United States are not reached. Even taking into account the time spent and money unit brought to block and assault on Mosul, is more armed than efficient forces, who can conduct serious operations,” said Mardas.
Confirms the words of expert military correspondent Andrey Filatov, has long worked at the forefront in the ranks of the Syrian army. According to Filatov, the ideological component and the lack of skills of the combat operation will not allow the Iraqi military to achieve success on the battlefield.
“Established American army of locals do not believe that it is here to stay. What this administration for a long time. In fact, the situation is this: people are ready to fight for the money are willing to demonstrate decisiveness, but to fight the Iraqi military only on “heavy armor”, provided that the militants from them will just run away. But the militants, in turn, show the opposite – show high morale and having a fierce resistance,” he explained. Filatov also said that the Iraqi military did not seek to exert serious pressure on the terrorists on their own, shifting the brunt of the fighting in aircraft.
Iron fist
Experts point out that the only force capable of suppressing resistance in Mosul and implement a sweep of the city, is the us military. Although it is noted that us special forces are really acting in the area of operations, major forces of the U.S. armed forces are still in the standby mode. At the disposal of the us military are already soldiers of the elite 101st airborne division, who have vast combat experience and able to work in difficult conditions.
Soldiers of the 101st airborne division took part in all major military campaigns, was actively worked during the “Gulf War”, participated in “operation Anaconda” in Afghanistan, played a role during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and for a long time after the completion of the active phase of hostilities was engaged in security in the controlled areas. The division has at its disposal almost two thousand troops and heavy weapons, including artillery and helicopter gunships.
Among other things, to Iraq and deployed the 82nd airborne division, the military personnel of the sending country have undergone additional training to work in the city. It was reported that the 82nd airborne division needs to change his comrades from the 101st, but experts tend to believe that in reality there is a maximum possible strengthening of the shock troops for a decisive thrust on Mosul. In favor of this version and the fact of transfer in the Mosul area, the 1st infantry division of the U.S. armed forces – the so-called “Big red.” The connection has not only trained personnel but also heavy weaponry, tanks and self-propelled artillery.
In addition to ground troops, to storm Mosul can be brought airplanes and helicopters. Almost zero progress of the Iraqi army suggests that the “Big red one”, paratroopers, supported by special forces and aircraft are the main force in the assault of the city. However, the “striking force”, which the American command was concentrating on the outskirts of Mosul, does not guarantee a positive outcome.
The military expert of the magazine “Arsenal of the Fatherland” Alex Leonov explained that the bloodless battles or escape of terrorists from Mosul even in the presence of a powerful group of U.S. forces is not expected.
“If you remember the previous military operations of the US army, we can assume that Mosul will be a bloodbath. A lot of bombs, rockets, aviation wherever possible. Although the Marines will be cleaned of all who survived the air strikes, they will have face-to-face encounter with the former Iraqi military, some of which were two campaigns against them,” said Leonov.
According to experts, the ISIS militants entrenched in Mosul, largely knowledgeable about the methods and tactics of the U.S. military, and hence the large losses an attacker, most likely, not be avoided. Although the storming of Mosul, the Obama administration wanted to submit as a parting gift, large and early success in this case is very difficult to say. One thing is for sure: the American media and military experts said the fall of Mosul to the November 8, obviously made a mistake in assessing the enemy. Turn Mosul even more bloody battle than any previous battle of the US army in Iraq, only time will tell.
Author: Dmitry Yurov
Photo: Berci Feher / ZUMAPRESS.com / Globallookpress / army.mil