Mosul to be liberated by army of 25,000 - Polidicks

[img]http://gdb.voanews.com/70006DCF-5673-4880-81E7-B8BE0418A23F_cx0_cy3_cw0_mw1024_s_n_r1.jpg[/img] [quote] [B](CNN)[/B]Months after Iraqi troops dropped their weapons and ran for their lives in Mosul, up to 25,000 are expected to head back there in April or May to try to retake the city from ISIS, according to a U.S. official. But can they actually do it? Answering that question is key to what might happen in Mosul but also as to whether the terrorist group can be taken out entirely in Iraq. Mosul has been a symbol of Iraqi military incompetence, given how troops and police ran from their posts as militants arrived in June. The stunning collapse stirred concerns about the ability of then-Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki not only to recapture Mosul but to save the entire country. And it also shined a harsh spotlight on the will and capabilities of Iraq's military, now that U.S. combat troops had exited the country. ... [B]What will U.S. role be?[/B] If Iraqi troops are ready to go into Mosul, what about their American counterparts? In addition to providing air support, the U.S. military has troops on the ground in Iraq. They're there ostensibly for training and other purposes, but not combat. Still, if they were ever needed to be in the thick of things in the ISIS fight, Mosul would be the place. That could happen. Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of Central Command, and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have both suggested a small number of U.S. troops could be needed on the ground to help call in airstrikes. ... [B]Source:[/B] [url]http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/20/middleeast/iraq-isis/[/url] [/quote] Interesting times ahead. There are also 3-4000 US troops recently deployed to Kuwait including armor.

If there is such a large commitment to Mosul, wouldn't ISIS just take advantage of the shortfall in other areas it doesn't hold?

That picture would look really dramatic if it weren't for the guy on the left fixing his hair or whatever.

[QUOTE=butt2089;47184123]If there is such a large commitment to Mosul, wouldn't ISIS just take advantage of the shortfall in other areas it doesn't hold?[/QUOTE] Mosul would be a pretty big loss for them to just give it up for small gains elsewhere.

Retaking Mosul would be an important step for the Iraqi army to regain its legitimacy and prestige (as well as morale if they haven't recovered from their defeat there yet). [thumb]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Syria_and_Iraq_2014-onward_War_map.png[/thumb] An important step in reclaiming North-Eastern Iraq for sure.

[QUOTE=Hilton;47184155]That picture would look really dramatic if it weren't for the guy on the left fixing his hair or whatever.[/QUOTE] Looks like he bumped his head on the door frame on the way out.

[QUOTE=nuttyboffin;47184371]Looks like he bumped his head on the door frame on the way out.[/QUOTE] I think you're onto something

[QUOTE=deltasquid;47184343]Retaking Mosul would be an important step for the Iraqi army to regain its legitimacy and prestige (as well as morale if they haven't recovered from their defeat there yet). [thumb]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Syria_and_Iraq_2014-onward_War_map.png[/thumb] An important step in reclaiming North-Eastern Iraq for sure.[/QUOTE] Should keep in mind that that big gaping circle of ISIS occupied gray in the bottom of Iraq is actually just a small collection of villages and towns and mostly a vast desert. [editline]21st February 2015[/editline] This map is probably more accurate [img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/76042000/gif/_76042192_iraq_syria_isis_caliphate_624_03-07-14v2.gif[/img]

[QUOTE=nuttyboffin;47184371]Looks like he bumped his head on the door frame on the way out.[/QUOTE] After having done it so many times that it probably has given me drain bamage, I can confirm this stance.

25 000, that's like the strength of armies in medieval times attacking forts.

Saw a article yesterday saying that 3,400 of those troops had actually been trained and that that training was basically just boot camp. Here is a article on it, I don't know if this is the one I saw though. [URL="http://www.aina.org/news/20150220170012.htm"]http://www.aina.org/news/20150220170012.htm[/URL]

[QUOTE=nuttyboffin;47184371]Looks like he bumped his head on the door frame on the way out.[/QUOTE] Looks like he is shitting his pants that he has to go into that mess.

[QUOTE=DJrorok;47186084]Looks like he is shitting his pants that he has to go into that mess.[/QUOTE] Or maybe he is telepathically communicating with higher powers to aid him in the battle.

[QUOTE=assassin_Raptor;47185965]Saw a article yesterday saying that 3,400 of those troops had actually been trained and that that training was basically just boot camp. Here is a article on it, I don't know if this is the one I saw though. [URL="http://www.aina.org/news/20150220170012.htm"]http://www.aina.org/news/20150220170012.htm[/URL][/QUOTE] The name for boot camp is Basic Combat Training - which means they're getting the main juice of the stuff they need to know. It may not be advanced, but the basics will help more than nothing.