While Iraqi forces are making “deliberate progress,” the liberation of the Islamic State’s putative capital is still weeks away as troops are meeting “tough resistance,” according to the second-in-command of the counter-Islamic State coalition in Iraq.
“We expect tough fighting to continue in the weeks ahead,” said British Maj. Gen. Rupert Jones, deputy commander for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, who said the Islamic State’s defeat in Mosul is inevitable.
“As the Iraqi security forces and other axes converge on the city, we expect that pressure on ISIL will continue to increase, and their resistance will begin to wane,” Jones told Pentagon reporters during a videoconference from Baghdad Wednesday.
Jones said Islamic State fighters have been largely confined to western Mosul, thanks to the deliberate disabling by coalition airpower of four of the five bridges that connect the eastern and western parts of the city, a strategic move that also limits their ability to use suicide truck-bombs, one of the Islamic State’s favorite weapons.
“Daesh [Islamic State] fighters are surrounded by superior force, with little ability to resupply or reinforce their fighters,” Jones said.
In Syria, progress is slower as Syrian Democratic Forces moved within 18 miles of Raqqa, the other Islamic State capital.
Jones said the U.S.-backed rebels met only “light to moderate resistance” as they advanced on Raqqa, clearing villages along the way and recapturing about 270 square miles.
Those forces will not be advancing into the city until a political arrangement is worked out with Turkey, which objects to Kurdish fighters taking part in the liberation of Raqqa.
Asked if that final push was likely months away, Jones replied, “Timelines are not particularly helpful. The key is that we defeat Daesh in both Iraq and Syria and in a considered but timely manner. Exactly how long that takes will depend on events on the ground.”
