The public plan to take back Mosul

| February 21, 2015

last convoy out of Iraq

In case you missed it the other day, the Pentagon released it’s plan to take back the Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS come Spring. They announced troops numbers and the plan to use Iraqi ground forces in conjunction with American air power. They announced that the plan would start in April or May. So the internet lit up with outrage that the Pentagon was giving away the store by talking with the press about it. Well, the Washington Post says that’s all part of their plan;

The Pentagon and Iraqi military commanders are hoping to avoid a massive, bloody battle in Iraq’s second largest city. “We want Mosul to look a lot more like the liberation of Paris than Stalingrad or Fallujah,” said a senior military official familiar with the planning. In other words, U.S. and Iraqi commanders are hoping that they can convince most of the Islamic State fighters to leave the city before the big battle.

So far it remains unclear whether the strategy will work.

Yeah, because ISIS is known for the way they run away from tough fights. I’m pretty sure that if the US and Iraq make a big deal out of the upcoming battle for Mosul, that will only strengthen ISIS’ resolve. The 2,000 troops that they think are defending the city now will grow ten-fold in the next few months in anticipation of being able to kill thousands of Iraqi soldiers and, perhaps, by chance get an American adviser or two.

In fact this plan shows how little the Pentagon planners, and the White House folks from whom they’re taking their cue, understand about the extremism that they’re facing. These are folks who think that blowing themselves up is some kind of great victory. They don’t care abut their own casualties, they only care about how their message is received by the world’s media. If they can stage a huge useless bloodletting in Mosul, they’ll call it a victory no matter who ends up occupying the town in the end. And the compliant media will join them in celebration.

Most military officials believe that there are more than 2,000 Islamic State fighters currently in Mosul. It’s unclear how the outnumbered enemy will react to the news of the coming assault by Iraqi forces. For now, though, it appears that the Islamic State fighters are determined to dig in for a hard fight, said military officials.

The bigger deal that West makes about retaking Mosul, the more ISIS criminals we can expect there. It would have been nice if there had been only 2000 to face the planned the 20,000 Iraqis, but that isn’t what it’s going to look like by Spring.

Thanks to Chief Tango for the link.

Category: Terror War

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MrBill

How kind of us to send ISIS a save-the-date card. No one can say the US doesn’t know its etiquette!

Denise Williams

Agreed in principal, but let’s look on the bright side. If they are congregated in one place, it will be easier to completely annihilate them. Of course, I don’t believe this is part of this administrations and their Pentagon puppets plan, but sometimes things work out despite the best efforts at intentional failure.

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone doesn’t figure this out and rectify this unintentional possible victory. Maybe a hint of this is already rattling around in some brains, hence that movable timeline.

Instinct

Maybe they’ll change the plan and instead of sending our troops we’ll just send one missile and turn the place into a crater.

Denise Williams

And at the same time, send in SF to take out every possible hidey-hole of Al-Bagdahdi et al. Then. Announce we simply granted their fondest wish, to meet their maker. Really, we’re just being nice.

Mustang1LT

Nope, not gonna work out that way. 2000 troops in town now? The Iraqi Army would need 2+ divisions to have any hope of winning even with our air support. Remember, a Battalion sized element of ISIS fighters made an entire Iraqi division their bitch last year. Besides, this script sounds awfully familiar: “OK. You attack that beachhead (or town) and we’ll back you up with close air support. Good luck.” Yeah, that was the brilliant plan that led to the Bay of Pigs except that in that case the Cuban exiles actually fought to the last man unlike the Iraqi troops who cut and run once the bullets start flying. If ISIS reinforces that town, it’s going to take two AMERICAN divisions and massive air power to dislodge them and this administration doesn’t have the stomach for that kind of fight. Either way, this won’t end well.
*Goes back to inventorying his OCIE*

Instinct

Maybe we can do a remake of the city of Dresden and just burn the whole place to the ground.

Just use the ground forces to keep anyone from leaving.

Mustang1LT

Remember, this is the same political party that tried to hem up our Marines after Haditha. Does anyone think that this administration would actually firebomb some Third World shithole? Please. I’d be more inclined to believe that they would start a midnight soccer league and put in some foot baths or some other namby-pamby bullshit.

Instinct

They’ll probably just carpet bomb them with hashtags

Mustang1LT

Exactly!
#GetOutOfMosulOrWe’llGerVeryAngry
#I’llStampMyFoot!

Ex-PH2

As much as I would enjoy seeing ISIS members’ parts and personal members flying through the air like so much splash, I have to think that nothing much will actually happen.

No gloves will be thrown down. No lines will be drawn in the sand. No machines will roll along routes and no airplanes will drop anything at all.

And I don’t say that because the WH changes its mind with the weather report, either. It’s because it has no mind, just an empty vacuum tube.

Brent Glines

Well, if the number of ISIS goons grows ten fold, maybe the plan is just to carpet bomb the place into oblivion. I don’t give Obama credit for that much creative thinking, though.

2/17 Air Cav

Anyone with at least one working brain cell thought the same thing when the Golfer in Mom Jeans approved the release of THE PLAN. I guess that it’s just that he is so much smarter than the rest of us, we can’t see the beauty of telling an enemy what is going to happen and when it is going to happen. Just for starters, ISIS now can lay more explosive devices than ever have been amassed in one place at one time.

Big Steve

Someone tell me again how many years we trained, funded, and armed to the teeth the Iraqi army and police forces so they would be able to defend their own damn country.

God, the resources and lives we’ve wasted trying to make real soldiers out of Iraqis and Afghans.

Though for the good of the world, ISIS does have to be stopped. The Iraqis and other ME allies can’t do it. And we should not waste another American life. So, incredibly brutal American (and maybe other Euro “allies” will help?) airstrikes should be made. And I don’t give a rip about innocent civilians and collateral damage at this point.

Time to flex our muscle, and world opinion be damned.

JimW

If the plan is to lure in every one that wants to kill Americans and fortify the city with as much weaponry as possible, it’s working. If our plan is to carpet bomb and kill every living thing that’s there, it’s a good plan.. But no, this is not the plan, and ISIS knows it. Great Leader Obamas plan is to destroy and weaken America from the inside. 1st to weaken our Army, open our borders, and disarm our citizens. Then the muslim caliphate can begin. Confirms the belief Obamas administration is incompetent to lead. They never heard that loose lips sink ships either.
Does anyone in Husseins administration have any allegiance to this nation? I guess it’s true, “this administration is transparent” to our enemies at least.

Club Manager

ISIS Staff Meeting – Mosul, Iraq

Mohammad #1. According to CNN, the infidels will attack from the South using the Sadam Hussein Highway beginning at sunrise on Tuesday, May 12th with air support.

Mohammad #2. Oh brother, that strikes fear into my heart. I’ll tell the assembled jihadists to begin packing and fueling the Toyotas.

Mohammad #1. Take this dumb sumabitch outside and behead him. And, don’t accept any more recruits from Poland.

Sparks

“We want Mosul to look a lot more like the liberation of Paris than Stalingrad or Fallujah,” said a senior military official familiar with the planning. In other words, U.S. and Iraqi commanders are hoping that they can convince most of the Islamic State fighters to leave the city before the big battle.”

YGBFSM!!! Have they gone completely insane? In other words, we want to scare them out of Mosul before we get there. Yea, I see that working out well. I’m sure their shaking in their sandals. In truth, they are already in the process of arming troops there to the teeth and adding thousands more. Who the hell do they think they’re going up against? Men willing to die rather than give an inch and have proved it, that’s who. Not trying to call them great soldiers just watching history as they faced the Iraqi Army even with our air support.

All this goes back to Obama I guarantee. In recent press conferences and statements he has bent over backwards to defend Islam and never, ever call these murderers what they are. He’s an out and out Muslim himself and would rather warn his “brothers” we are coming, than care about the count of American body bags. Iraqis…he could care less for than something he stepped in the Rose Garden. Which is only a minor degree less than he cares for American lives. He loves, supports and defends Muslims at every turn. He would rather see a total loss and American deaths in this Mosul endeavor than kill any of his “brothers” he so lovingly defends. He is a coward and a traitor in my opinion and proves it more with every word and deed.

Roger in Republic

This is just part of a devilishly clever plan. By telegraphing our plans and intentions to the enemy we insure that he will have sufficient men and material to totally destroy the Iraqi army while at the same time depleting his own forces elsewhere. Once the battle is joined US troops can throw a cordon around the battle space so as to contain any remaining ISIS fighters inside the cordon. Bombs, rockets, and tube artillery can finish the rest. Concurrent to the mop up we should have no trouble finding and killing the few remaining fighters left in Syria and Iraq. This plan also means the we will never have to fight the Iraqi army as it will be three generations before they will be able to build one.

Richard

Well I heard this but it is secret so don’t tell anyone.

The US State Department is going to build a BIG factory right outside town. The Iraqi army is going to do all the work and they are going to give all of those jihadis manager jobs with three months pay in advance. At lunchtime, the Iraqi Army guys are going to run away and in the afternoon the Jihadis are going to sell the plant to the Israelis. When they get the money, they are going to blow it up, steal the Israeli trucks and drive to the UAE for some R&R.

PFM

I’m calling the ISIS reoccupation of Tal Afar once it kicks off…

Herbert J Messkit

May 1944
General Eisenhower announced today that allied forces will attack Normandy next month and begin the liberation of Europe
The 1st, 4th and 29th divisions will land at low tide and link up with the 82nd and 101st divisions inserted during the night . We will drop mannequins armed with explosives as part of our deception plan” british and Canadian forces will also land in the Caen area announced the general in a London news conference.

FatCircles0311

Just more Muslim Hussein aiding his friends in arms in order to escape, just like he did in Afghanistan.

Eden

No, no, no! Y’all have this thing all wrong! We’re not going there to fight! We’re going to line up all them ISIS fighters and give them JOBS! Because that’s all they really need and want–that woman on T.V. said so!