Opstomen naar IS: zo ziet de slag om Mosul eruit

Het Iraakse leger vuurt op de terroristen - bron:AFP

De Iraakse strijdkrachten zijn samen met hun Koerdische bondgenoten deze week aan een offensief begonnen om Mosul te bevrijden van Islamitische Staat. Het gaat allemaal sneller dan verwacht, zegt de premier van Irak, Haider al-Abadi.

‘De strijdkrachten rukken sneller naar de stad op dan wij dachten en sneller dan wij in onze campagne hebben gepland,’ zei Al-Abadi tegen vertegenwoordigers van diverse landen die in Parijs zijn samengekomen om zich te buigen over de toekomst van Mosul. De strijd aan het front levert indrukwekkende beelden op. Een selectie:

2016-10-19 11:18:46 TOPSHOT - An Iraqi forces M109 self-propelled howitzer fires towards the village of Tall al-Tibah, some 30 kilometres south of Mosul, on October 19, 2016, during an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city. Iraqi forces prepared to retake several key areas around Mosul, including the country's largest Christian town, to tighten the noose on the Islamic State group's stronghold. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE
Een vuurgevecht bij Tall al-Tibah, 30 kilometer van Mosul – bron:AFP
2016-10-20 11:00:26 Iraqi forces sit in the back of a vehicle as troops advance through the desert on the banks of the Tigris river, northeast of the main staging base of Qayyarah, on October 20, 2016, during an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city of Mosul. A wide array of Iraqi and international forces are involved in the fight to retake Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group, which overran the country's second city in 2014. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE
Iraakse militairen in de achterbak van een legervoertuig – bron: AFP
2016-10-20 00:00:00 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters hold a position near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul, on October 20, 2016, during an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city. Kurdish forces launched a fresh push against areas held by the Islamic State group around Mosul, pressing an offensive to retake the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq. / AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED
De Peshmerga spelen een grote rol bij het offensief tegen IS in Mosul – bron:AFP
2016-10-20 00:00:00 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters hold a position in Sheikh Ali village near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul, on October 20, 2016, during an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city. Kurdish forces launched a fresh push against areas held by the Islamic State group around Mosul, pressing an offensive to retake the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq. / AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED
Koerdische strijders bij Bashiqa – bron: AFP
2016-10-20 00:00:00 Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters hold a position in Sheikh Ali village near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul, on October 20, 2016, during an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city. Kurdish forces launched a fresh push against areas held by the Islamic State group around Mosul, pressing an offensive to retake the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq. / AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED
Opnieuw Peshmerga, onderweg naar Mosul – bron:AFP
2016-10-19 12:10:08 Iraqi villagers gather on a road as smoke rises from the Qayyarah area, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul, on October 19, 2016, during an operation by Iraqi forces against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city. In the biggest Iraqi military operation in years, forces have retaken dozens of villages, mostly south and east of Mosul, and are planning multiple assaults for October 20. / AFP PHOTO / YASIN AKGUL
Dorpsbewoners verzamelen zich, terwijl de rook opstijgt – bron:AFP
2016-10-18 13:51:02 Iraqi forces deploy in the Bajwaniyah village, about 30 kms south of Mosul, on October 18, 2016 after they liberated it from Islamic State (IS) group jihadists. Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces were making gains on the Islamic State group in Mosul in an offensive US President Barack Obama warned would be a "difficult fight". / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE
Iraakse troepen bij Bajwaniyah, 30 kilometer ten zuiden van Mosul – bron:AFP
TOPSHOT - A man takes a selfie in front of a fire from oil that has been set ablaze in the Qayyarah area, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul, on October 19, 2016, during an operation by Iraqi forces against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city. In the biggest Iraqi military operation in years, forces have retaken dozens of villages, mostly south and east of Mosul, and are planning multiple assaults for October 20. / AFP PHOTO / YASIN AKGUL
Een olieveld dat in brand is gestoken, vermoedelijk door IS – bron:AFP
2016-10-19 14:10:19 TOPSHOT - An Iraqi man walks on a street covered with smoke after a fire from oil was set ablaze in the Qayyarah area, some 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul, on October 19, 2016, during an operation by Iraqi forces against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists to retake the main hub city. In the biggest Iraqi military operation in years, forces have retaken dozens of villages, mostly south and east of Mosul, and are planning multiple assaults for October 20. / AFP PHOTO / YASIN AKGUL
Een man loopt door de straten van een dorp op zo;n 60 kilometer van het IS-bolwerk – brin:AFP

Tags