VIDEO: ‘Greater intelligence strategy required for Mosul operation’

A former US military advisor with the Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Region said a new strategy is necessary before the start of the Mosul offensive.
kurdistan24.net

WASHINGTON, United States (Kurdistan24) – A former US military advisor with the Peshmerga in the Kurdistan Region said a new strategy is necessary before the start of the Mosul offensive.

The future of Kurdistan and Iraq before and after the Mosul operation were discussed during a recent panel organized by the Hudson Institute in the United States on Sep. 9.

Michael Pregent, an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute and former military advisor with the Peshmerga in Mosul, said a more intelligent strategy is required for the upcoming campaign.

“Blowing up buildings, [destroying] buildings, and pushing people out then planting a flag is no strategy,” he said.

“[That strategy] simply resets the conditions, and it actually reinforces distrust of Baghdad, distrust of the United States, distrust in our ability to influence outcomes on the ground,” he continued.

Pregent mentioned it is important to “empower” the local military forces in Mosul, referring specifically to the Sunni units that have not joined the Islamic State (IS).

“[We must] go in, establish partnerships, make an intelligence driven operation, and start decapitating the leadership of [IS],” he stated.

The former military officer explained a strong “hold-force” is required after the liberation operation to “protect the population” inside the city and deny IS from returning.

Moreover, Eric Brown, another panelist, and Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, discussed the preparations required to deal with the expected influx of refugees fleeing Mosul.

Brown explained the US’ allies in the region—Kurds and Iraqis—are not adequately supported to deal with the humanitarian crisis.

He agreed a comprehensive strategy to prevent the unnecessary humanitarian issues was required before the offensive begins.

“The current military strategy the United States has supported to oust [IS] could potentially create a lot more needless humanitarian suffering and displacement,” Brown concluded.

 

 

(Abbas Zangana contributed to this report from Washington, DC)