Iraqi forces’ triumph over Islamic State (IS) in the eastern sector of Mosul, the city’s left bank, is a major achievement. Although it took more than three months of hard fighting — as well as many casualties — to reach this stage, Iraqis are celebrating not only this victory, but also the fact that the end of IS is finally in sight.
IS will, however, not entirely disappear from Iraq, and will continue to launch the kind of suicide attacks experienced in Baghdad this month. But its hold on Iraqi territory has been broken at last. The country has come a long way since June 2014, when IS seized large swathes of territory and when it looked as if even Baghdad was under threat.
As the Mosul campaign advanced, Iraqi forces, remembered for abandoning their posts as IS advanced in 2014, proved themselves, thanks to the training and assistance from the US, to be more than capable of dealing with the job at hand.
They have also proved surprisingly willing to work together under a unified command. More importantly, they have largely stuck to the rules of battle agreed prior to the operation. The Peshmerga and the Popular Mobilisation Forces have both stayed out of the centre of Mosul, leaving that to the Iraqi military, assisted by local Ninevah Governorate forces. The mainly Shi’a Popular Mobilisation Forces have also refrained from the kinds of revenge attacks on Sunni Muslims that some of their number took part in elsewhere.
Things have not been entirely trouble free. There have been some indications this month that the Popular Mobilisation Forces may be overstepping the mark in Tal Afar, where they appear to be getting increasingly drawn into the battle. They justify this on the grounds that Tal Afar is home to a Shi’a Turkoman population that needs protecting from Sunni forces.
Yet, in general, the Popular Mobilisation Forces, are sticking to the rules, knowing that any false move on their part will play into IS’ hands by stoking Sunni Muslim fears. Their main interest seems to be to ensure that the media gives a positive portrayal of them and their role in the victory. Another encouraging sign is that eastern Mosul was taken by Iraqi forces without too much damage being done. This is in stark contrast to what happened in Ramadi, where large parts of the town were destroyed in the fight to oust IS. This time there has been a deliberate effort to limit damage.
As a result, life is already starting to return to something akin to normality in some eastern neighbourhoods. According to the UN Children’s Fund, some 30 schools reopened on 22 January, allowing 16,000 children to resume their education, after two years under IS control. An additional 40 schools are expected to open in coming weeks.
