News
Latest News
news bulletin
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Other News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Beirut
19
o
Mount Lebanon
19
o
Metn
20
o
Keserwan
20
o
North
20
o
South
19
o
Bekaa
13
o
Live
Video
Audio
Schedule
shows
العربية
watching now
News
SUBSCRIBE
Home
Notification
Live
Video
Audio
shows
Beirut
19
o
Mount Lebanon
19
o
Metn
20
o
Keserwan
20
o
North
20
o
South
19
o
Bekaa
13
o
News
Programs
The News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Programs
Documentaries
Lebanon’s Centennial
News Bulletin
The Untold History
Talk Show
Series
Sports
Variety
Other
Comedy
Oldies
Breaking News
Latest News
Highlighted News
Most Read
Videos
العربية
Watch the latest programs and the latest developments on your favorite screen
Shows
Join millions of followers
Who We Are
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Careers
Channel frequencies
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
REPORT: Islamic State digs in behind Mosul moat as battle for city looms
Breaking Headlines
2016-09-20 | 00:40
High views
Share
Share
REPORT: Islamic State digs in behind Mosul moat as battle for city looms
7
min
REPORT: Islamic State digs in behind Mosul moat as battle for city looms
Islamic State is building a moat around Mosul in northern Iraq, in preparation for a long, hard battle against U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces for the biggest city in the jihadists' self-proclaimed caliphate.
The city of 2 million fell to the militants in 2014 in a lightning advance, and the offensive to recapture it will be the biggest battle Islamic State has ever fought.
Residents say the fighters have been sealing off entire districts and building a network of tunnels across the city to obstruct government troops.
The group has been working hard this month to dig a two-metre by two-metre trench along the city's perimeter and position oil tanks nearby to create a river of fire that would impede advancing troops and hinder aerial surveillance, according to senior Iraq military officers, Mosul residents, and local officials based outside the city.
The battle to retake Mosul from Islamic State, which has been forced off significant portions of the territory it seized in Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014, could begin as soon as next month.
The jihadists have put up fierce resistance against attacks on some parts of their caliphate over the past two years but melted away in other areas, prompting debate about how they will react to a push on Mosul.
Recent activities suggest Islamic State - also called Daesh in Arabic - will dig in, presaging a long and bloody fight that could displace large numbers of civilians.
"Oil trenches, tunnels and suicide attacks will not save Daesh from defeat but they will make the battle more challenging," said Sabah al-Numani, a spokesman for the counter-terrorism forces which are expected to spearhead the offensive. "We are confident Daesh will fight to their last fighter to keep holding Mosul."
There is a gap in the moat on the western approach to the city, so fighters could slip out through the desert and into Syria to regroup if they ultimately decide to surrender Mosul.
Rich in Muslim history, Mosul lies at the heart of the state the Islamists have sought to create. It was in the city's main mosque in 2014 that their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a modern caliphate spanning large parts of Iraq and Syria.
With much of the population still inside, civilians are a concern for those planning the expected assault. The installation of oil tanks around residential areas raises the risk that air strikes could set off major fires, said Baghdad-based analyst and former army general Jasim al-Bahadli.
In addition to the moat, the militants have sealed off central districts of Mosul by stacking cement blast walls on top of each other across main roads, according to photographs taken by residents and seen by Reuters.
Dozens of trucks were seen earlier this month carrying similar barriers into the airport on the city's southern outskirts, which could be an entry point for attacking forces, local officials and residents said.
The militants "are using the blast walls to make Mosul airport unfit for planes to land," said Iraqi Army Colonel Mohammed Adnan al-Taie.
They used the same tactic before fleeing Qayyara air base, 60 km (40 miles) south of Mosul, which U.S. forces are helping to refurbish to use as a logistics hub for the Mosul operation.
TUNNEL NETWORK
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has pledged repeatedly to retake Mosul by the end of the year, and Iraqi commanders have indicated the main push could begin by the second half of October though some doubts remain that the necessary troops will be ready.
After meeting Abadi in New York on Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama said he hoped for progress by the end of the year, and the top U.S. general later said Iraqi forces would be ready in October, but the timing would be up to Abadi.
Iraqi forces launched an operation on Tuesday to retake the northern town of Shirqat, a stepping stone in the Mosul campaign.
Mosul provincial councilman Abdul Rahman al-Wagga said Islamic State's tactics suggest it is desperate to delay the government advance. Witnesses in Mosul say the militants are working hard to dig tunnels, which they have used in the past to launch attacks on Iraqi forces, store supplies and hide from air strikes.
"I can see Daesh digging tunnels everywhere and covering the entrances with sewage covers. My neighbour's house is now part of a network of tunnels that reaches across the city," a resident from the Sumer district of southeastern Mosul told Reuters.Interviews via the Internet with five Mosul residents, some of whom are still in the city, suggest Islamic State is tightening its grip in a bid to weather popular discontent and military setbacks, including assassinations of senior leaders.
House-to-house searches have increased over the last two months, as the militants pursue local fighters who pledged allegiance to the group but appear to have defected.
Brigadier-General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the joint operations command, said intelligence contacts in Mosul were providing accurate coordinates of Islamic State locations and for conducting assassinations against militants, though Reuters could not confirm those claims.
Abadi this week called on Mosul residents to stand up to Islamic State ahead of the military offensive.
"Our goal is to liberate the people of Mosul ... and we ask them to shake up Daesh and expel them from Mosul or kill them," he said at a news conference in Baghdad. "This will ease the work of the security forces and reduce their casualties."
REUTERS
For more details, watch the full report in the video above.
Breaking Headlines
Iraq
Mosul
Abadi
Next
Grand Mufti Derian travels to Saudi Arabia for Hajj
Recommended For You
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-17
Israeli warplanes strike agricultural land near Baalbek: Three missiles launched
Lebanon News
2024-04-17
Israeli warplanes strike agricultural land near Baalbek: Three missiles launched
0
Middle East News
2024-04-16
Israeli army detects missile launches from Lebanon
Middle East News
2024-04-16
Israeli army detects missile launches from Lebanon
0
Lebanon News
2024-04-16
Breaking: Car targeted on Al-Majbal road in Ain Baal
Lebanon News
2024-04-16
Breaking: Car targeted on Al-Majbal road in Ain Baal
0
Middle East News
2024-04-15
Israeli response to Iranian attack expected soon: Israeli Broadcasting Corporation
Middle East News
2024-04-15
Israeli response to Iranian attack expected soon: Israeli Broadcasting Corporation
Subscribe to our VOD
SUBSCRIBE
Our visitors readings
d-none hideMe
0
Middle East News
00:36
Flydubai cancels flights to Tehran on Friday
Middle East News
00:36
Flydubai cancels flights to Tehran on Friday
0
News Bulletin Reports
12:08
US-Israel Agreement: Rafah Invasion Planned, Limited Response to Iran
News Bulletin Reports
12:08
US-Israel Agreement: Rafah Invasion Planned, Limited Response to Iran
0
Israel-Gaza War Updates
2024-02-05
Israeli army says forces killed dozens of Palestinian militants in Gaza operations
Israel-Gaza War Updates
2024-02-05
Israeli army says forces killed dozens of Palestinian militants in Gaza operations
0
Lebanon News
15:17
Tenenti: UNIFIL is neutral and does not support any side
Lebanon News
15:17
Tenenti: UNIFIL is neutral and does not support any side
Videos
d-none hideMe
0
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
Lebanon News
2023-12-11
Breaking: Israel launches raid north of Litani on Monday (Video)
0
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
Lebanon News
2023-11-02
Exclusive to LBCI: U.S. State Department's Wooster Stresses Lebanon Must Avoid War, Sees Renewed Push for Two-State Solution
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
Lebanon News
2023-10-18
Protests Erupt near US Embassy in Awkar Against Israeli Attacks on Al-Maamadani Hospital in Gaza
0
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
Lebanon News
2023-10-05
ATFL's Ambassador Edward Gabriel on Navigating Through Economic, Political, and Refugee Crises
0
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
Sports News
2023-08-31
Amir Saoud Powers Lebanon to Victory Over Cote d'Ivoire: A Deep Dive Into The Numbers
0
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
Sports News
2023-08-29
France Edges Past Lebanon in a Nail-Biter at FIBA World Cup 2023: A Statistical Deep Dive
0
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Lebanon News
2019-02-28
Pierre el-Daher, the man who defeated the Lebanese Forces
Most read
d-none hideMe
24 hours
7 days
Month
1
Lebanon Economy
08:30
BDL initiates measures to promote electronic payments and reduce cash use
Lebanon Economy
08:30
BDL initiates measures to promote electronic payments and reduce cash use
2
Lebanon News
07:48
Video: LBCI's 'Marhaba Dawle' producer hands over props following legal battle
Lebanon News
07:48
Video: LBCI's 'Marhaba Dawle' producer hands over props following legal battle
3
News Bulletin Reports
12:26
Economic crisis: IMF awaits Lebanon's reforms
News Bulletin Reports
12:26
Economic crisis: IMF awaits Lebanon's reforms
4
Middle East News
07:20
Lufthansa extends suspension of flights to Tehran and Beirut until April 30: AFP
Middle East News
07:20
Lufthansa extends suspension of flights to Tehran and Beirut until April 30: AFP
5
News Bulletin Reports
12:08
US-Israel Agreement: Rafah Invasion Planned, Limited Response to Iran
News Bulletin Reports
12:08
US-Israel Agreement: Rafah Invasion Planned, Limited Response to Iran
6
Lebanon News
09:35
Élysée Palace: Macron to receive Lebanese Prime Minister and Army Commander on Friday
Lebanon News
09:35
Élysée Palace: Macron to receive Lebanese Prime Minister and Army Commander on Friday
7
Lebanon News
06:06
UNIFIL spokesperson affirms: Peacekeeping operations and civilian staff continue duties
Lebanon News
06:06
UNIFIL spokesperson affirms: Peacekeeping operations and civilian staff continue duties
8
Middle East News
00:06
Israeli missiles hit site in Iran, ABC News reports
Middle East News
00:06
Israeli missiles hit site in Iran, ABC News reports
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use
cookies
to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More