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Mosul

The Hardest Fight Comes After Mosul Falls

The Hardest Fight Comes After Mosul Falls

After eight months of grinding conflict, Iraqi commanders are now confident that the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS is in its final phase. Pushing [...] More

Middle EastTerrorismReporting

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How Rules of Engagement Impact Civilian Casualties

Robert J. Eatinger, Jr.

How Rules of Engagement Impact Civilian Casualties

On March 17, an airstrike allegedly carried out by coalition troops in Mosul, Iraq, killed a large number of civilians, with some reports putting the [...] More

North AmericaExpert View

Making Iraq Great Again

Ambassador Gary Grappo

Making Iraq Great Again

It is probably not a bad thing that U.S. President Donald Trump recently dispatched Jared Kusher, his son-in-law and his Administration’s [...] More

Middle EastStrategic View
The Vice Closes on Mosul: What Next?

The Vice Closes on Mosul: What Next?

Last Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi appeared on Iraqi television to announce “a new phase in the operation” to retake Mosul. “We are [...] More

Middle EastTerrorismReporting

Mosul: Winning the Battle and the War

The Trump Administration has inherited a complex set of problems in Iraq. Most pressing among them is the ongoing campaign to recapture Mosul, Iraq's [...] More

Middle EastTerrorismReporting

Mosul: One Battle, Six Campaigns for the Trump Administration

Last October, I published a summary of the coalition battle to liberate Mosul from ISIS in The Cipher Brief, stressing that inside the one battle [...] More

Middle EastTerrorismReporting

Erdogan and Abadi: Making a Mess

Over the past month, the exchange of words between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi has reached a [...] More

Middle EastSecurity/StabilityReporting
The Price of Turkish Posturing in Iraq

The Price of Turkish Posturing in Iraq

As Iraqi Army forces enter Mosul proper and anti-ISIS coalition forces encircle the city, the complex and bloody operation to safely wrest a city of [...] More

Middle EastSecurity/StabilityReporting

Ankara's Influence: Asset or a Liability?

The Mosul operation, launched on October 17, has once again highlighted the complicated nature of Turkey’s involvement in the fight against the [...] More

EuropeMiddle EastSecurity/StabilityReporting

One Battle, But "Six Campaigns"

The good news: all signs point to a final attack on ISIS in Mosul by Iraqi forces and the American-led coalition. This struggle has received much [...] More

Middle EastTerrorismReporting
Objective: Mosul

Objective: Mosul

With the Islamic State (ISIS) having lost more than 40 percent of its territory in Iraq since its height of control in January 2015, all attention [...] More

Middle EastTerrorismReporting

Mosul: The Day After

From victories in Ramadi, Fallujah, and towns and principalities in between, the Iraqi army and its coalition allies have steadily rolled back the [...] More

Middle EastTerrorismReporting