Members of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) gesture on the outskirt of Bartila east of Mosul during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
AFP: US general claims IS leaders 'abandoning' Mosul
Washington (AFP) - Islamic State group leaders have been fleeing Mosul as US-backed local forces close in on the jihadists' last Iraqi stronghold, a US general said Wednesday.
US Army Major General Gary Volesky, who heads the land component command of the US-led coalition to defeat IS, predicted that foreign fighters will end up forming a large contingent of jihadists remaining in the city, as they have nowhere else to go.
An estimated 3,500 to 5,000 IS fighters are dug into Mosul, while tens of thousands of Iraqi forces have massed to recapture Iraqi's second city in an offensive that began on the outskirts Monday.
"We are telling Daesh that their leaders are abandoning them. We've seen a movement out of Mosul," he told reporters in a video briefing from Baghdad, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
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WNU Editor: No one really knows what the ISIS leadership are doing right now .... or if they have already fled Mosul.
3 comments:
You would want to split leadership 4 ways.
Mosul, Raqaa, Deir es Zur & abroad
My guess is that Mosul will fall fairly easily. I cannot imagine the rank and file fighting to the death when the leaders bail out.
The Iranians through their militia control and governmental influence may attempt a demographic/religious change in the areas north and west (concentrating on Mosul) of Baghdad. One way to do this is to leave open a corridor for civilians of Mosul to exit, but only in a specific direction. This could be achieved by stating the corridor's existence to be for an ISIS exit/retreat using this as a cover.
If Solemeini makes an appearance in the Mosul operational area it would speak volumes as to Irani/Shia end game strategy.
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