Reuters: How Iran closed the Mosul 'horseshoe' and changed Iraq war
In the early days of the assault on Islamic State in Mosul, Iran successfully pressed Iraq to change its battle plan and seal off the city, an intervention which has since shaped the tortuous course of the conflict, sources briefed on the plan say.
The original campaign strategy called for Iraqi forces to close in around Mosul in a horseshoe formation, blocking three fronts but leaving open the fourth - to the west of the city leading to Islamic State territory in neighboring Syria.
That model, used to recapture several Iraqi cities from the ultra-hardline militants in the last two years, would have left fighters and civilians a clear route of escape and could have made the Mosul battle quicker and simpler.
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The Battle For The Iraqi City Of Mosul -- News Updates December 7, 2016
Iraq launches new push in southeast Mosul -- AP
Islamic State attacks Iraqi soldiers in Mosul -- Reuters
Deadly strike in western Iraq, fierce battles in Mosul -- AFP
Iraq: Daesh reverse army assault in Mosul -- Middle East Monitor
Islamic State shifts defenses to east Mosul: coalition commander -- Reuters
Islamic State attacks Iraqi soldiers in Mosul -- Reuters
Fighting and dead militants as Iraqi forces liberate more Mosul neighborhoods -- RUDAW
ISIS Bombs, Mines Pose 'Unprecedented' Threat in Liberated Areas Near Mosul -- NBC News
Iraqis forming new elite forces to offset personnel loss in Mosul: Newspaper -- Iraqi News
Mosul: Fight for Islamic State stronghold could take two more months, US-led coalition chief says -- ABC News Online
Hospitals struggling to cope with Mosul casualties -- BBC
UN humanitarian efforts running short of land near Mosul -- AP
British captive John Cantlie appears in new propaganda video from Mosul -- Long War Journal
British captive John Cantlie appears gaunt, pale and bearded as he is seen by outside world for first time in six months in new ISIS propaganda video -- Daily Mail
Islamic State: War-torn Mosul seen through the eyes of local man -- ABC News Online
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