ISIS terrorists shot dead 52 people in a public school in Mosul in November 2016 during the ‘Battle of Mosul’.
MOSUL, IRAQ – The so-called ‘Battle of Mosul’ in Iraq in 2016 led to a lot of death.
By the end of 2016 Iraq, and the world, had had enough of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). This bunch of self-styled ‘Muslim warriors’ had caused so much death and misery to so many that efforts to get rid of them were in full force. Maybe it was the beheadings, immolations, drownings and throwing people off tall buildings, or maybe it was the mass rape, but in any event these sub-humans had to go.
Unfortunately, Iraqi forces on their own were not up to the task. After all, ISIS was able to create its ‘Caliphate’ on their watch, and carved out a substantial amount of territory across northern Iraq and Syria. The Iraqis needed help.
And help they did get, from a curious ‘ally’. Kurdish elements played a big role in helping to dislodge ISIS from its strongholds. Given Iraq’s not so illustrious treatment of the Kurds, especially under the former dictator Saddam Husayn, that the Kurds wanted to fight on the same side as their Iraqi counterparts was a tad unexpected.
These two got help from other outsiders. The US helped with military advisers and the odd airstrike, and the Russians and Syrians pitched in as well. By November 1, 2016 Iraqi forces had entered the ISIS bastion of Mosul, the first time they had been there in over two years.
The retaking of Mosul was not easy.
Iraqi officials did not claim ‘victory’ until mid-2017 and a lot of lives were lost. ISIS was not about to give up that easily. True to form, they killed many, many civilians.
One such slaughter took place on November 2, 2016. ISIS terrorists shot dead 52 young people in a school in the eastern part of the city. Their crime: not atoning for their former positions within the security forces. More massacres were to take place, including 12 civilians who were shot dead on 11 November when they tried to stop militants launching rockets from the roofs of the homes. Another 27 were killed on accusations of passing information to Iraqi forces.
Eventually, Mosul did fall, as did the rest of the ‘Caliphate’. As for ISIS, it is still with us alas, still causing death and destruction in Iraq and Syria and throughout the world via its ‘associates’ and wannabes. That battle has yet to come to an end.
