The Inside Story On Why The Iraqi City Of Mosul Fell So Quickly To The Islamic State

Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern Iraq city of Mosul, in this June 11, 2014 file photo. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer

Special Report: How Mosul Fell - An Iraqi General Disputes Baghdad's Story -- Ned Parker, Isabel Coles and Raheem Salman, Reuters

(Reuters) - Lieutenant General Mahdi Gharawi knew an attack was coming.

In late May, Iraqi security forces arrested seven members of militant group Islamic State in Mosul and learned the group planned an offensive on the city in early June. Gharawi, the operational commander of Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, asked Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's most trusted commanders for reinforcements.

With Iraq's military overstretched, the senior officers scoffed at the request. Diplomats in Baghdad also passed along intelligence of an attack, only to be told that Iraqi Special Forces were in Mosul and could handle any scenario.

On June 4, federal police in Mosul under Gharawi's command cornered Islamic State's military leader in Iraq, who blew himself up rather than surrendering. Gharawi hoped the death might avert an attack. He was wrong.

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My Comment: This is a gripping investigative report from Reuters. A must read.

On a side note .... and a prediction .... I am willing to bet that how the Islamic State engineered the fall of Mosul will probably be the same tactic that they will use in seizing the Sunni sections of Baghdad .... probably in the next few weeks.