Qayara Air Base (Iraq): Iraqi and US-led coalition forces have killed or gravely wounded more than 2,000 Islamic State fighters in the battle for Mosul since October, the top US commander in Iraq said today.
Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told reporters there are still an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 IS fighters defending Mosul. He applauded the efforts of Iraqi security forces, who began their offensive on October 17 in what has been billed a decisive phase of the anti-IS fight.
“By our calculations, we think we have killed or badly wounded over 2,000,” Townsend said at a joint news conference with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter at Qayara air base.
Iraqi security forces have been slowed in their nearly two-month-old offensive against IS, which has occupied Mosul for more than two years. US officials have declined to say how many Iraqi government troops have been killed in the Mosul fight.
Recapturing the city, Iraq’s second-largest, is crucial to the Iraqis’ hopes of restoring their sovereignty, although political stability will likely remain a challenge afterward.
Iraqi forces have only won back a handful of eastern Mosul neighborhoods since launching the offensive in mid-October. Today they came under mortar fire as they worked to clear villages along the Tigris River to the south, part of operations to secure supply lines for a campaign that is likely to stretch into the coming year.
Townsend disputed any suggestion that the Islamic State has managed to fight the Iraqi government forces to standstill in Mosul.
After citing the estimated 2,000 IS casualties, he added, “I don’t think that suggests anything about a stalemate. This is a major urban area. Any army on the planet, including the United States Army, would be challenged by this fight.”
“The Iraqi army has come back from near-defeat two years ago, and now they are attacking this major city,” Townsend said. “I don’t think there is anything in there about a stalemate.” Mosul is about 250 miles from Baghdad.
Townsend said US intelligence estimated before the Mosul campaign kicked off that IS had 3,500 to 6,000 fighters in the city. He said the current estimate is 3,000 to 5,000.
Pentagon chief Carter made an unannounced visit today to the Qayara base, flying in from Baghdad after meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and sharing lunch with American troops. It was Carter’s first visit to Qayara since it began operating as an Iraqi staging base in October.
Carter toured the air base, greeting soldiers and offering holiday wishes. He assured them the Mosul campaign is on track.
“Everything is going according to the plan of a year ago,” Carter said.