MESOP NEWS : Signs of Revolt Among IS Militants in Mosul – Kurdish Minister

ERBIL — 23 Oct 2016 – BasNews – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Interior Minister Karim Sinjari says Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army have together liberated 30 villages in northern Iraq since the beginning of Mosul operation, with reports of revolt and internal clashes among Islamic State (IS) militants inside the city.

Sinjari, who is also KRG’s acting Peshmerga minister, told Reuters that Peshmerga and Iraqi troops have advances to 5 kilometers from Mosul, but the battle will not end soon when they arrive inside the major city. “If they resist in the city, especially in old Mosul, it will be a big fight … The roads are very thin, very narrow. You can’t have vehicles, you can’t have tanks. So it will be a fight, person by person,” Reuters quoted Sinjari. Mentioning the significance of recapturing Mosul, the Kurdish official said, “If Mosul is finished the caliphate they announced is finished. If they lose in Mosul, they will have no place, just Raqqa.”

According to Sinjar, Kurdish Peshmerga forces have reclaimed 20 villages and the Iraqi army have retaken 10 since Monday, when Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi official announced the beginning of Mosul assault. “There are many reports that there are elements that have agreed to kill members of Daesh. Some members of Daesh were killed in the street,” the Kurdish minister said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. “They don’t want Daesh. Some were killed and some left. These are people who have weapons, who carry out attacks in specific areas at night and slip away.” Sinjari said that there are unconfirmed reports indicating that IS leader Abu Bakir al-Baghdad was in Mosul last Wednesday, “visiting fighters and encouraging them.” www.mesop.de