Over the last few days has dramatically increased the number of terrorist attacks perpetrated by suicide bombers, in which ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in Russia — approx. ed.), desperately trying to contain the attack by Iraqi troops in Mosul, the second largest city of Iraq.
“It’s the only thing they have left. Dozens of snipers and suicide bombers,” said El Mundo General Yahya Rasul (Rasul Yahia), the official representative of the Iraqi army. “Our troops are moving slowly. Ahead of less than one square kilometer, you need to bring,” adds the General. Suicide bombers were used in the last four days. Looks like this new tactic of the insurgents, driven into a maze of narrow streets.
On Monday two female suicide bombers committed a suicide bombing in the West of Mosul. As a result of this attack at least one Iraqi soldier was killed and five others were injured. On the same day, troops were trying to defuse another seven women with suicide belts. To prevent new attacks, the military’s demand to ban the wearing of hijab to women, leaving the old part of the city. In may of this year, the niqab (a garment covering the whole body except the eyes) was banned in public places freed blocks as a security measure to prevent terrorist attacks by sleeper cells of ISIS in Mosul.
Among women, sent by ISIL and arrested by the security forces, there are even a few teenagers. One of the identity documents seized from suicide bombers, belongs to 15-year-old girl studying in Bangladesh.
The use of female suicide bombers is nothing new. “Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of a cell “al-Qaeda” (the terrorist organization banned in Russia — approx. ed.) in Iraq, the embryo of the current ISIS, eliminated as a result of an American airstrike in 2006, has changed the role of women. He made them an exception so that you can use them as suicide bombers,” — said a year ago our newspaper analyst HaShem al-Hashemi (Hashem al Hashimi), Advisor to the Iraqi government, a specialist on the issue of ISIS. “But who really took advantage of this prerogative is the leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Abu Bakr al Bagdadi), authorizing the creation of women’s battalions of type “al-khansa”,” — said the expert.
The fact that the territory still controlled by ISIS, there are about ten thousand civilians, slowed the offensive of the government troops. “Save the lives of innocent civilians is more important than to kill terrorists. The precaution above all”, says al-Rasul, avoiding to call the end date of the liberation of Mosul. Other military, with whom we managed to talk, on the contrary, argue that the victory can announce this week, eight months after the start of the offensive.
Explosive devices planted by ISIL militants in the old part of the city, also had an impact on the course of the battle, which involved the Federal police, the division of fast reaction of the Ministry of internal Affairs, the army and anti-terrorist units, with air support from international coalition led by the United States. To celebrate the defeat of the terrorist group, Baghdad is preparing a week of celebrations and the visit of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (Haider al Abadi) on the outskirts of Mosul, captured by ISIL in June 2014.
About 900 thousand residents of Mosul left the city since the beginning of the assault in October last year. Most of them live in camps for displaced persons, located in the suburbs. According to Iraqi and U.S. intelligence, al-Baghdadi left the battlefield, trying to find refuge on the border of Syria and Iraq. Russia, in turn, reports on elimination of the leader of ISIS during the impact of the Russian HQs.
