US Withdrawal From Mosul Leads To Fear Of Iraqi Insurgent Attacks

The presence of the US troops has helped to bring peace to Mosul's streets. Despite the calm there are concerns that attacks by insurgents may resume

From Times Online:

Lying in the dust of a Mosul street, a bullet in his leg, the insurgent had plenty on his mind when American soldiers ran towards him. The engineer, who was in his thirties and fluent in English, had thrown a grenade at a US patrol and been shot down by a turret gunner as he tried to make his escape seconds earlier.

As the Americans gathered around him, one concern seemed paramount. “Don’t give me to the Iraqi Army, don’t give me to the Iraqi Army’,” he begged, according to the gunner.

Iraqi forces, American units, insurgent cells: every group has its own worry in Mosul in the run-up to the planned withdrawal of US forces from the city on June 30. The insurgents have the most to gain from an American pullout but realise that they will face harsher treatment if they fall into the hands of the remaining Iraqi forces.

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My Comment: I do expect U.S. forces to still leave the city, but they will only be a few hours away on the outskirts of the city. In addition, if the situation does start to deteriorate, I would not be surprised to see some U.S. soldiers to re-enter the fight.

But let us not fool ourselves .... the Americans are leaving, and the Iraqis better start getting use to it.