BAGHDAD // The defeat of ISIL in Iraq will take another three months, prime minister Haider Al Abadi said on Tuesday, as Iraqi forces struggle to dislodge the extremists from their Mosul stronghold.
The drawn-out battle speaks of the limitations of the government forces, the staunch defence put up by the militants and the high risk involved in taking back a city with some 1 million civilians still living inside it.
“Conditions indicate that Iraq needs three months to eliminate Daesh,” state TV quoted Mr Al Abadi as saying.
After optimistic forecasts of Mosul being back in government hands before the end of the year, almost everyone in Iraq now agrees that early 2017 is a more realistic timeline.
Two months into the campaign, most of the fighting has been concentrated in eastern Mosul, east of the Tigris River, where Iraq’s special forces are battling ISIL fighters street by street. Very little fighting is taking place north, south and south-east of the city, where army troops and the militarised federal police are deployed. The lack of progress there suggests the special forces, by far Iraq’s most battle-hardened outfit, will likely have to take those areas after securing eastern Mosul.
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READ MORE: In secret phone calls, Mosul residents tell of being afraid to leave their homes
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The battle for the last Iraqi city still in ISIL hands has laid bare the country’s political and sectarian woes. A liberated Mosul will present a host of other problems that the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, armed with considerable political capital gained from defeating ISIL, must address quickly.
Since it began on October 17, the campaign has been accompanied by an outreach programme towards the mostly Sunni residents of Mosul. The propaganda machines of the government and the military have tirelessly emphasised concern for the safety of civilians still living inside Mosul. State television has peppered its coverage of the battle with scenes of compassion shown by troops towards the city’s residents, sharing their rations with them or organising food and water distribution.
In Baghdad, Mr Al Abadi has spoken at length of national reconciliation and how the fight against ISIL has brought the country’s main groups – Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds – together for the first time in years. He highlighted the Sunni militiamen and Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting alongside government troops in Mosul as an example of this newfound unity.
In a concession to the Sunnis, the government barred the powerful Shiite militias from taking part in the battle for Mosul, fearing their participation could anger Mosul’s mainly Muslim residents and evoke memories of their abuse of Sunni civilians elsewhere in Iraq.
But on the battlefield, the initial successes soon turned into something of a stalemate, with the advance of the special forces towards the Tigris halted for close to two weeks and the army’s 9th Armoured Division in the south still on the edge of the city after an ill-fated foray earlier this month proved costly.
While the special forces are made up of seasoned city fighters, there are not enough of them. The 9th Division, meanwhile, is not equipped to fight on the streets and, like most other army outfits, does not seem to have fully recovered from the meltdown the military and security forces suffered when ISIL blitzed across northern and western Iraq in the summer of 2014.
Iraqi forces have struggled against the defences prepared by ISIL’s fighters, whose resilience appears to strengthen as the battle moves deeper inside the city. The militants have employed a wide range of tactics, including suicide bombings, constant sniping and ambushes. The tactics were to be expected given that the extremists had ample time to prepare – the intention to liberate Mosul was announced by the government in March.
Many believe it is a matter of time before Mosul is fully retaken, but even that poses a new set of challenges for a government long accused of corruption and sectarian policies and with an economy reeling from low oil prices and the costs of war.
The liberation of Mosul would leave the militants with several small outposts in the north and west of Iraq that could be retaken with relative ease, but the group would morph into an urban terror group with sleeper cells and the ability to strike across much of Iraq. It may not again enjoy the sympathy or support of Iraq’s Sunni Arabs as it did two years ago, but that would depend in large part on whether the Baghdad government would take steps to address some of the Sunni grievances, like reining in Shiite radicals, showing goodwill to the Sunnis and adopting even-handed policies toward the once-powerful minority.
It may be a tall order, since the government and its Shiite-dominated military and security forces as well as the state-sanctioned Shiite militias would be filled with the sort of triumphalism after the defeat of ISIL that they would not feel the need to redress injustices inflicted upon the Sunnis.
The signs are not encouraging.
Parliament last month passed legislation that accorded the mostly Shiite militias full legal status, declaring them part of the armed forces, complete with the salary scale and a range of perks. The move was immediately decried by Sunnis and, in response, the government said the legislation was the least it could do to reward the militias for their sacrifices in the fight against ISIL.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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RESULT
Norway 1 Spain 1
Norway: King (90 4')
Spain: Niguez (47')
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
Company%20Profile
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Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
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Naga
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In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
