Distrust, dehydration rampant amid final Mosul battles
As the liberation of Mosul moves ahead after several months of very slow progress, the Iraqi forces face new challenges in very hot weather conditions.
MOSUL, Iraq — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul July 9 to congratulate Iraqi forces on wresting control of the country’s second-largest city from the Islamic State (IS).
Saad al-Hadithi, the spokesman for Abadi, said the formal declaration of victory over IS in what was formerly the terrorist group’s capital would not be announced before the full cleansing of the Old City of Mosul, where fighting continues. In the week leading up to the visit, Al-Monitor spent several days with Iraqi forces on the front lines.
