Brig. Gen. Halgurd Hikmet, a spokesman for the Peshmerga, or Kurdish forces, told CNN on Wednesday that “for ISIS, Mosul is survival.”
Hikmet said he believes ISIS militants won’t leave Mosul but will continue to put up a fight that will only grow fiercer as the battle moves to the city’s west.
He pointed to the audio message purportedly from ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi released just weeks ago, which seems to have emboldened and inspired ISIS fighters.
Hikmet also reiterated the difficulty posed for Iraqi-led forces by the potential for civilian casualties among the dense urban population, saying the utmost care was being taken not to bomb civilians.
The terror group’s use of civilians as “human shields” is also a challenge because it’s often hard to differentiate between them and ISIS members, Hikmet said.
The paramilitary force said Tuesday it has intelligence that al-Baghdadi is somewhere between al Baaj and Tal Afar. The two cities are about 50 miles (80 kilometers) apart and close to the border with Syria.
Iraqi Ministry of Defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Tahsin Ibrahim would not confirm nor deny that al-Baghdadi is in the area.
This is what an ISIS booby-trapped house looks like 01:12
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