A powerful MP as well as the head of the Badr Brigade, the largest militia within Iraq’s “Population Mobilization Forces,” Hadi al-Amiri expressed caution about expectations of a quick invasion of the city of Mosul, which is ISIS’ largest city.
“The battle of Mosul will not be a picnic. It needs time, it needs precision, it needs a deep breath,” Amiri insisted, adding that his Badr Brigade is prepared to continue with the battle even if it lasts for several months. And well it might.
Though US officials initially presented the battle as having a timetable of weeks, Kurdish officials responded with predictions it would last multiple months. Indeed, nearly two weeks into the attack, the invading forces are still several kilometers from Mosul, and not expected to enter the city for some time.
Some of the militia forces involved in the fighting over Mosul are openly talking about their intention to join the Syrian war as soon as Mosul is finished, suggesting they may be looking beyond what is expected to be by far the largest battle of the war.