{"id":16885,"date":"2017-08-18T20:18:33","date_gmt":"2017-08-18T20:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/08\/18\/us-iraqi-forces-ready-for-next-battle-against-isis-extremists\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:00:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:00:39","slug":"us-iraqi-forces-ready-for-next-battle-against-isis-extremists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2017\/08\/18\/us-iraqi-forces-ready-for-next-battle-against-isis-extremists\/","title":{"rendered":"US: Iraqi forces ready for next battle against ISIS extremists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BAGHDAD \u2014 Senior U.S. military leaders said Friday that Iraqi forces are largely set for their next major campaign against Islamic State extremists after closing out the wrenching nine-month battle to retake the city of Mosul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said he sees the Iraqi assault on the IS-held area of Tal Afar \u201cunfolding relatively soon.\u201d The upcoming fight follows weeks of Iraq regrouping troops and repairing equipment and weapons after recapturing Mosul in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t say that we replaced every single damaged or broken vehicle or rifle or machine gun,\u201d said Townsend, whose forces are aiding the Iraqi military. But, he insisted: \u201cThey\u2019ll be ready enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tal Afar and the surrounding area is among the last pockets of ISIS-held territory in Iraq after victory was declared in Mosul, the country\u2019s second-largest city. Tal Afar is west of Mosul and about 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the Syrian border. It sits along a major road that was a key ISIS supply route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mosul took a heavy toll on Iraqi forces. As many as 1,400 troops were killed and more than 7,000 wounded, and the Iraqi military has proceeded methodically since its biggest success to date. Just three years ago, its soldiers were chased by the Islamic state group from much of the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe last days of Mosul looked like Iwo Jima to me,\u201d Townsend told a small group of reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the end, it took bulldozers plowing ISIS fighters under the rubble,\u201d he recalled, using multiple different acronyms for the extremist group. \u201cIraqi infantry men advanced beside the bulldozers, shooting and throwing grenades at Daesh fighters popping up out of the rubble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iraiqi Humvees emerged shot up, their glass spider-webbed with bullet marks and shrapnel, their weapons worn out or even destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the weeks since, much of the Iraqis\u2019 equipment has been repaired or replaced, said Gen. Joseph Votel, America\u2019s top Middle East commander who spent the last few days in Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think they are ready,\u201d Votel told reporters Friday, echoing Townsend. The key priority, he said, is ensuring the Iraqis maintain momentum and have a good battle plan, and that the U.S.-led coalition is prepared to support them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Votel met with Iraqi military and political leaders in Baghdad and with Kurdish Peshmerga leaders in Irbil, in northern Iraq. He was ensuring U.S. military advisory teams are with the right local units to provide the best support, intelligence gathering, surveillance and advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\t