Iraqi troops continue to try to advance into the dwindling parts of Mosul’s Old City, claiming to have reached the Tigris River and captured the al-Shifa District, as they continue to present the capture of the city as more or less fully completed.
Fighting continues to rage in several parts of the city’s east, however, which has put the government in the awkward position of formally planning a massive celebration of “victory” that is going to take place just blocks away from active combat zones.
This reflects the central government’s ambitions of having the battle finished by the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which has already passed, and they appear interested in keeping up the claim that the victory has already happened, despite fighting still going on.
Celebrations are also planned across the rest of the country, and it is expected that those celebrations will be a lot more popular with top government officials than making their way into a war zone in Mosul surrounding leveled buildings.
Photos and films from Mosul are now beginning to come onto the news. As expected for street-to-street and house-to-house fighting much of that city looks like Berlin in May 1945. Will there be a Marshallplan-Iraq to rebuild?
Of course, and once again, the American people will foot the majority of the tab. It’s what the 535 electeds do to those they represent.
Who doing the hand to hand combat? Thought so.