Iraq and US confident to retake Mosul, Daesh can't 'conduct full-fledged military action'

Sputnik
Wed, 26 Oct 2016 17:39 UTC

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The Daesh terrorists' combat capabilities are nearly exhausted, and they are no longer capable of preventing Mosul from being liberated by Iraqi and Kurdish troops, Yazidi fighter Newsal Haci told Sputnik Turkey.

In an interview with Sputnik Turkey, Yazidi soldier Newsal Haci, who serves with the Iraqi army, pointed to the inability of Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) to resist the liberation of Mosul, where he said the terrorists' combat capabilities' are already running out.

He added that the Iraqi army is sweeping through territory formerly held by Daesh terrorists, and that the Iraqi forces currently need to cover just five kilometers to reach Mosul.

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Yazidi fighter Newsai Heci

"We are fighting for a democratic and secular Iraq, and we intend to liberate Mosul and the Yazidi people from Daesh terrorists at all costs," according to Haci. The Yazidis, an indigenous ethnic group with their own religion and customs, have been routinely oppressed and even enslaved under jihadist rule.

"The jihadists' efforts are running out, and they already cannot conduct full-blow military activity, and are instead focusing on staging car bomb and trap mine explosions," he said.

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A Yazidi fighter taking part in the Iraqi army's operation to liberate Mosul.

Haci added that it is due to the fact that Daesh can no longer fight as they did before that the terrorists started to resort to such tactics.

"We continue to move forward. To date, we have managed to kill more than 80 jihadists," he concluded.

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Yazidi fighters taking part in the Iraqi army's operation to liberate Mosul.

Meanwhile, Fezile Mustafa from the village of Terzilla near Mosul which was recently liberated from Daesh terrorists told Sputnik that she and her five children would only return to the village after the Iraqi army drives Daesh out of Mosul.

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She said that "it is simply impossible" to return to Terzilla now that the village had been sacked and her home destroyed.

"We will return only after Mosul is liberated. Perhaps more than anything else, we want two things, namely, the liberation of Mosul from Daesh and to return home," she added.

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Hezale Mustafa

On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of a military operation to retake Mosul from Daesh.

According to local media, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation, which is backed by the airstrikes being carried out by the US-led international coalition.

Earlier this week, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Turkish artillery and tanks are supporting Peshmerga's efforts to liberate Mosul, adding that if necessary Turkish air forces may assist in in the military operation.

Comment: The US also seems optimistic retaking Mosul: US Central Command Expects More Resistance From Daesh Militants in Mosul

US Central Command's Gen. Joseph Votel said that despite obstacles he is confident that Mosul would be retaken.

The US Central Command's Gen. Joseph Votel warned Wednesday that, as an operation to liberate Mosul progress, the resistance of Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) terrorists will increase.

"I would expect we are going to run into more obstacles [and] more VBIEDs [vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices]. They've had a long time to prepare for that fight, so all of that we're going to contend with here very, very soon,"

Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of the Pentagon's unified command for the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, told NBC. Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the US-led Combined Joint Task Force fighting Daesh, confirmed the information, adding that the Daesh deployed an "extraordinary" number of rockets and VBIEDs in Mosul. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that Mosul would be retaken.