US Says at Least 1,200 Iraqi Troops Killed in Mosul Offensive

In a statement that offered few details but some of the first real numbers out of the battle of Mosul, the US “coalition” forces say that between 1,200 and 1,500 Iraqi security personnel were killed in the 9-month battle, with another 8,000 wounded.

This didn’t come with any sort of breakdown, and it’s not clear if this represents merely the Iraqi military, or includes Iraqi national police, or even Shi’ite militias who were nominally under government control. The Iraqi government has not offered any figures of their own.

The US coalition statement praised Iraq for its “significant sacrifice” in having liberated the city of Mosul through such losses. Of course, the city of Mosul sustained far more damage than the combatants did, and remains in many parts uninhabitable.

Begun in October, the battle for Mosul was the much vaunted “last” battle against ISIS in Iraq, and ended at some point in July, though declarations of victory came long before fighting had actually stopped. Since then, there have been multiple additional “last” battles against ISIS, who remains active in many parts of Iraq, despite not controlling any massive cities at this point.