Talking up the idea that the Anbar Province capital of Ramadi will soon be captured, Iraqi PM Hayder Abadi today announced that Mosul, the largest city currently held by ISIS, is the next target, and will be “liberated” shortly thereafter.
The fight over Ramadi has taken much longer than previously expected, but with Mosul much larger and far deeper into ISIS territory, it’s been long seen as virtually untouchable. Before the war, Mosul had an estimated 1,500,000 people living in it.
The loss of Mosul was the start of a precipitice round of defeats for the Iraqi military nationwide in 2014, with defensive troops routed quickly by ISIS attackers. Following the loss of Mosul, ISIS quickly seized most of the Sunni Arab parts of the country.
Mosul has been hugely valuable for ISIS, both as a major city and because they looted large amounts of money from the city’s banks during the takeover, a cache of treasure that has left them the richest jihadist group in the world ever since.
The loss of territory is a political catastrophe for the caliph because his "amr" or authority is largely anchored on his sacred obligation to increase the territory of the caliphate. That is why Suleiman the Great, who was not a true caliph, had such immense authority in the Ottoman empire.
If the army manages to move up the Euphrates towards Haditha (and Anah? Not sure about the roads.), Mosul will be encircled with the Kurds in control of Sinjar. The IS rats know what's coming and are leaving their sinking ship, only those who are fanatical *and* stupid enough still hold out.
Conquering Ramadi was easier than expected, and it will continue this way – unless Saudi Arabia's new "islamic coalition" manages to move in and secure IS positions (and flight corridors).