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
Mosul
Iran Looks to Expand Influence in Iraq When Mosul Falls
The battle for the strategic Iraqi city of Mosul has reached its final stage as Iraqi forces close in on the Islamic State’s last stronghold […] More
Military Victory in Mosul Likely to Lift P.M. Abadi’s Reelection Campaign
After almost eight months of fighting, the battle to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, from ISIS is nearing its end. The Iraqi army has taken […] More
Securing Mosul Post-ISIS
It is likely that Iraqi security forces and international partners will soon liberate Mosul from ISIS’ three-year hold. However, without proper governance over the city, […] More
The Latest
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
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 jack-of-all-issues, to Iraq. As […] More
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
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
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 second-largest […] More
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
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 bitter […] More
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 Islamic State (IS). […] More
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 […] More
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 territorial gains […] More
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 […] More