A senior official from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has welcomed news that residents of Mosul have risen against the Daesh Takfiri terrorists, saying the Iraqi city is likely to witness a “person by person” fight.
“There are many reports that there are elements that have agreed to kill members of Daesh. Some members of Daesh were killed in the street,” Karim Sinjari said on Saturday.
The interior minister and acting defense minister of the KRG, who was speaking to Reuters, said without help from inside Mosul, such as informers or spies and cooperation from tribal groups, Iraqi forces would not be able to defeat Daesh.
“They don't want Daesh. Some were killed and some left. These are people who have weapons, who carry out attacks in specific areas at night and slip away,” he said.
The Iraqi military, allied with volunteer fighters and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, have been engaged in a major operation for the liberation of Mosul since October 17.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Sinjari rejected speculations that Iraqis would be able to imminently recapture Mosul. He said the battle for the city, which fell into the hands of terrorists in 2014, would be tough.
“If they resist in the city, especially in old Mosul, it will be a big fight ... The roads are very thin, very narrow. You can't have vehicles, you can't have tanks. So it will be a fight, person by person,” the KRG official stated.
Sinjari said the Daesh terrorists could put up a fierce fight because of Mosul's symbolic value for them.
Reports on Saturday said the Iraqi forces have advanced five kilometers further toward Mosul, which is the last major stronghold of Daesh in Iraq. They said the army had managed to liberate ten villages as they advanced from the south. The Peshmerga fighters have also retaken 20 villages in their advance from the east.
