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Iraq Ponders Multi-Pronged Offensive to Wipe Out Islamic State

by Jeff Seldin

   Iraq's military may try to eradicate the Islamic State terror group's
   remaining forces by simultaneously attacking the terror group on
   multiple fronts in the hopes of taking advantage of infighting and a
   weakened leadership.

   The strategy would be a bold one given the casualties Iraqi forces
   suffered while trying to retake Mosul.

   The U.S. Defense Department estimated IS forces inflicted a 40 percent
   casualty rate on Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) in the
   nine months it took for them to reclaim the city. And the U.S.
   commander of the global coalition against IS described as the fighting
   in Mosul as the "most extended and brutal combat I have ever
   witnessed."

   But Iraqi military officials visiting the Pentagon this week, following
   the declarations of victory over IS in Mosul, appeared undaunted.

   "Very soon, we'll start military operations to liberate the remaining
   Iraqi areas under occupation," Joint Operations Command spokesman,
   Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, said through a translator.

   "We could start military operations towards different areas at the same
   time," he added. "We're confident that we are capable of having a
   number of operations simultaneously."

   Rasool and the other government officials indicated Iraqi leaders have
   yet to make a firm decision on exactly how the campaign will should
   play out, though potential targets include Tal Afar, about 60
   kilometers to the west of Mosul, and the town of Hawija in Iraq's
   Kirkuk province.

   Fighting in Mosul continues

   U.S. officials have said efforts to clear Mosul of pockets of Islamic
   State fighters could last for weeks.

   Iraqi soldiers tell VOA that the remaining IS fighters - including
   women and children - are now launching attacks from basements and
   tunnels under the city, all of them wearing suicide vests.

   Still, Iraqi and U.S. officials see an opportunity to strike at IS
   while it is weak and still on its heels.

   "They're fighting among themselves in Hawija and Tal Afar, currently,"
   Rasool said Thursday, when asked about what is left of IS leadership
   following the battle for Mosul.

   "We killed a large number of the leadership, and they collapsed within
   their structure," he said.

   Iraq still a battleground

   U.S. officials estimate there are still a couple of thousand IS
   fighters spread throughout Iraq. Some analysts suggest the numbers
   could be even higher, and both officials and experts worry about the
   presence of so-called sleeper cells in all the territories that have
   been reclaimed from IS forces.

   Aside from strongholds in Tal Afar and Hawija, IS still controls swaths
   of lands in Iraq's Anbar province, where they continue to enjoy some
   freedom of movement despite pressure from the coalition's ongoing air
   campaign.

   Iraqi officials say continued coalition air support will be crucial for
   their continued success, and admit additional help will be needed.

   "What we would like from the international or global coalition is the
   continuous support to Iraqi forces," said Brig. Gen Saad Maad, a
   spokesman for Baghdad Operations Command and the Iraqi Ministry of the
   Interior. "This also requires additional training, and providing the
   basic services, and cameras, and surveillance equipment so that we'll
   be able to stabilize the area."

   No timeline

   As far as how long it will take to subdue what remains of IS, neither
   Iraqi nor coalition officials have been willing to say.

   "We'll be at it until it's done," Operation Inherent Resolve Commander,
   Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told Pentagon reporters on July 11.

   "The Iraqi Security Forces and the coalition have a plan to get after
   them. And we will move with all due speed to do that," he said.

   For their part, despite a looming referendum on Kurdish independence,
   Peshmerga officials say their forces are ready and willing to support
   Iraqi military efforts to wipe out IS.

   "We can launch a number of operations," said Brig. Gen. Halgwrd Hikman
   Ali, who was visiting the Pentagon with his Iraqi counterparts.

   "We can launch a military operation toward Tal Afar and another one
   toward Al- Qa'im, and another one toward -- maybe another one toward
   Hawija," he said. "We have enough forces to liberate what is
   remaining."