A U.S. soldier looks at weapons and ammunition belonging to Islamic State militants in the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq, December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
Reuters: U.S. general sees Islamic State's capability waning in east Mosul
The declining effectiveness of Islamic State attacks against Iraqi forces in eastern Mosul suggests the militants are starting to run out of resources with the campaign in its third month, a U.S. general told Reuters.
Since the U.S.-backed offensive began on Oct. 17, elite troops have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the group will be driven out of the country by April.
The second phase of the campaign, launched last week following nearly a month of deadlock, has pushed Islamic State out of several more areas in eastern Mosul despite fierce resistance. Iraqi forces have yet to enter the west.
"They've got a finite amount of resource that are on the eastern side and the fact that their capability is waning indicates that those resources are starting to dwindle," U.S. Army Major General Joseph Martin, head of ground forces for the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State, told Reuters on Sunday.
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WNU Editor: Another U.S. General is saying the same thing .... US general hands Iraqis fighting in Mosul vote of confidence (AP). As for the battle of east Mosul, Iraqi Generals are now saying that they have seized 60% of its territory ... Iraq forces have retaken over 60% of east Mosul: commander (AFP).
There are many measures for victory
ReplyDelete- Defeating the enemy locally.
- Defeating the enemy while maintain your treasury. Ask the Duke of Marlborough how frustrating this one is.
- Making sure your victory is not pyrrhic. That is preserve your force.
- Sometimes a force in the field is worth more than a force committed to battle.
- Defeating the enemy in part or in toto in a given time period. You might preserve your force, but lose other things. Simply having more pieces on the board at the end of a certain time period.
- Minimizing civilian casualties. Minimizing infrastructure is the same thing, which is one reason neutron bombs are moral.
Any linear combination of the above.
Defeating the enemy in 3 years when 1 year was feasible is not necessarily cause for celebration. The Lernean Hydra comes to mind.
For exceptionally slow twits like JabberJay this means you do not take forever to defeat one bad group and let many other bad groups flourish unmolested.
Iraq Army going for its first win in the 21st century.
ReplyDeleteCol. Pat Lang's site doesn't see things going well in Monsul.
ReplyDeletehttp://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2017/01/the-battle-for-mosul-is-swansong-or-yet-another-shapeshifting-part-2-.html