Iraqis push toward IS-held Mosul in long-awaited offensive

Obama's steady but relentless policy against ISIS is finally paying off. The Iraqi army, humiliated 2 years ago, is now ready to retake their own city. The Kurds are on board as well. That the Iraqis lead the assault is crucial for the Iraqi nation, with the Iraqi military regaining the ability to defend their own nation. This is their fight.

It would be interesting if this was what finally brought the Iraqis together in unity.

Though I find that pretty unlikely.

Find it hard to think the Iraq Army will win.......American troops maybe needed for this battle!

The hard part is if they don't pull back and start poping out fighting and running away....That will lead to most men needing to be locked up!

The original Iraq war strategies can win the war if it turns into that again.

So 2 years and 4 months later, the Iraqi army is ready for the "final" offensive.

It just pisses me off at how many innocent people have died and will continue to die for my countries hegemonic resource wars.

Kurds aside, how many Sunnis are in this alliance freeing Mosul?

Sense, it seems not so many; apparently, many Sunnis in Mosul are almost as concerned about the Shia takeover as they are about ISIS. It's inevitable, though, but I deeply hope that both sides can learn to live together.

BTW, has anyone else noted the very professionally-made flags and banners the Iraqi army is carrying? It seems the US has opened up a print shop in an effort to achieve cohesiveness. Clever move.

What a joke and an insult to the thousands of American and coalition lives that were wasted in the never ending quagmire.

At least Saddam kept things in check. It was none of our business that he committed bad things, so have other nation leaders, and we never lifted a finger to help them. All that pre-war intel was based on lies.

What a joke and an insult to the thousands of American and coalition lives that were wasted in the never ending quagmire.

I agree with the rest of your post, but I couldn't tell what you were referring to as a joke and an insult in this part of the post. What did you mean?

About time too. This is another beginning. They have been threatening to retake Mosul for month after month after month, mostly in a psychological war to get Daesh to pull out and let the population leave first.

Nothing better than a war with no casualties at all. Go Daesh!!! (As in, leave now!)

Hey Saudi Arabia and Qatar, your boys are taking a helluva pounding -any comments?

And ISIS is ready because the West published it. Dumb.

What a joke and an insult to the thousands of American and coalition lives that were wasted in the never ending quagmire.

Let's just forget the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

It seems the US has opened up a print shop in an effort to achieve cohesiveness. Clever move.

Flying Kurdish flags?

https://www.iraqbodycount.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Kurdistan

And where are those who whined so loudly about Syrian offensive on Aleppo, Syrian / Russian airstrikes and humanitarian disaster in Aleppo? It's time to start whining again, this time about "illegitimate regime offensive on moderate terrorists" in Mosul, criminal US bombardments of the city and horrible situation of civilians there. Do you think that "democratic" US bombs and shells are less lethal then "totalitarian" Syrian bombs and shells?

The Americans won't be carrying out double-tap strikes on local hospitals.

Maybe that's the big difference you'll never be able to grasp Asakaze.

With luck international humanitarian aid convoys will not be mistakenly or deliberately hit either.

Tell the people of Kunduz (and dozens of other places) your fairytails, Madverts, but I doubt they'll appreciate your fantasies.

I bitterly opposed the US invasion of Iraq, Asakaze. Yet even I can see their intervention was hardly the barbaric endeavour you're cheering on in Syria. More to the point, what is the purpose of your comments here? Sounds like a guilt complex to me, this 'ain't no support group baby, try sticking to the topic at hand...

So what, Madverts? You ignore piles of dead bodies in Iraq and Afghanistan, write callous remarks about people killed in a Saudi air strike in Yemen, but get vociferous and very compassionate as soon as Syrian Goebbels produce another fake story about "massive casualties in Aleppo". Why you do not call "barbaric endeavour" the Saudi agression in Yemen? Because Saudis are an important trade partner of UK and they spend a lot of money in London?

That is the main purpose of my comment here - to demonstrate the duplicity of US/NATO propagandists. Obviously they have no guilt complex.