Mosul a ghost city as troops press ahead with (‘the mother of two springs’) offensive [View All]

Source: Azzaman

The northern city of Mosul, home to nearly three million people, is now a city of ghosts.

As Iraqi troops, assisted by U.S. marines, intensify their attacks, severe shortages of clean water, health services and essential foods have already emerged.

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Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is personally commanding the operation which he initially code-named ‘the lion’s roar’ then changed into ‘the mother of two springs’ a nickname for Mosul know for its long and pleasant spring.

But the massive attack in which troops have been given free hand to search, arrest and storm residential areas is meeting resistance particularly from the city’s tribal leaders.

One chieftain refusing to be named said the troops had no intelligence of who the gunmen were and where they were bases. “Their arrests and raids are arbitrary,” he added.

Reports on casualties are scarce as the troops even forbid media people from moving.


Read more: http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news/2008-05-15/kurd.htm