ANALYSIS: ISIS 'caliphate' facing collapse but fallout could reach the West
WATCH & READISIS' 'caliphate' faces collapse, with the future of the territory it claimed in limbo
ANALYSIS: ISIS 'caliphate' facing collapse, and fallout could reach the West
By IAN PANNELL
Jul 5, 2017, 7:34 PM ET
Email
Star
PHOTO: An Iraqi Special Forces soldier walks on clothes left behind by fleeing civilians in an alley as Iraqi forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, July 5, 2017.PlayFelipe Dana/AP
WATCH ISIS' 'caliphate' faces collapse, with the future of the territory it claimed in limbo
As Mosul continues to fall to members of Iraq’s U.S.-backed special forces, ISIS’ so-called caliphate faces collapse. For the people of Asia, Europe and the United States, however, the terrorist organization is likely to remain a threat.
ISIS controls less than a square mile of land in Mosul right now, and displaced people are flowing out of that zone on foot, sometimes carrying severely wounded civilians with them.
Roughly 300 Islamic State fighters remain in Mosul’s Old City, according to a report by The Associated Press.
PHOTO: Iraqi civilians flee through an alley as Iraqi Special Forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, July 3, 2017.Felipe Dana/AP
Iraqi civilians flee through an alley as Iraqi Special Forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, July 3, 2017.more +
Concerns are rising that the rush to fill the vacuum left behind by the terrorist group could lead to an even greater conflict across the region.
Furthermore, ISIS’ tactic of pursuing smaller attacks in Western cities — like those that have recently unnerved the U.K. — is likely to continue and could increase in intensity if the group’s foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq return home to the West.
A fight to the death in Mosul
The last days of ISIS control of Mosul have arrived.
PHOTO: Civilians trying to flee get undressed to be checked for explosives after suicide bombers exploded as Iraqi forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, July 3, 2017.Felipe Dana/AP
Civilians trying to flee get undressed to be checked for explosives after suicide bombers exploded as Iraqi forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, July 3, 2017.more +
A pocket of their fighters exists in the Old City next to the Tigris River, which divides east and west.
People have different predictions about when the battle will be over, but some expect that a formal announcement will be made in the coming days.
ISIS holdouts in western Iraq and Syria, as well as a number of other countries, may continue to attack and bomb after any declaration of victory on the part of special forces in Mosul.
For now, there’s a humanitarian crisis that has affected survivors.
Thousands of people have fled their homes during the fighting. Many of them have no houses to return to, after the relentless aerial bombing there.
Mosul residents are traumatized, and the scene bears similarities to what happened to Dresden at the end of World War II, when allied forces ousted the Nazis from Germany.
PHOTO: An injured girl is carried to receive medical assistance as Iraqi forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, July 3, 2017.Felipe Dana/AP
An injured girl is carried to receive medical assistance as Iraqi forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, July 3, 2017.more +
A long battle ahead in Syria
The U.S.-trained, -equipped and -backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are moving forward and have entered Raqqa, the capital of the “caliphate,” from a number of sides. The group, known as the People’s Protection Units (YPG), is a mix of Arabs and Kurds.
The YPG has been fighting ISIS for years and is now considered a battle-hardened opponent.
Based solely on Raqqa’s physical makeup, defeating ISIS there will likely be easier than in Mosul. There is far less terrain in the city, and fewer residents are holed up inside it.
Fighting in the Euphrates River Valley
ISIS controls a swath of territory along the Euphrates River Valley, which snakes southeast from Raqqa to the Syria-Iraq border.
Questions persist about what groups will take the fight to ISIS in this region: The Pentagon seems reluctant to send U.S. troops, effectively ceding territory to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Key flashpoints in this region include Deir ez-Zour, Mayadin and Tanf.
Who fills the vacuum left by ISIS?
Since the end of World War II, there have been few conflicts in which so many national and international players were vying for territory and interests.
In the desert from eastern Syria to western Iraq, a diverse collection of parties is converging.
In Syria there is Assad’s regime, along with Iranian, Russian and Lebanese (Hezbollah) fighters. The SDF and Kurdish and Syrian rebels form another side of this conflict and are backed by Western allies, including the United States.
Islamist Syrian rebels also have a presence. This group includes former al-Qaeda fighters and Turkmen, backed by Turkey and Qatar and supported by sympathetic Sunni Muslims across the region.
In Iraq, there are potential conflicts between Kurdish groups and the Iraqi government and between Kurdish and Shiite militias.
The situation is messy, meaning that long after Mosul falls, the territory now claimed by ISIS will likely long be in dispute.
ABC News’ Michael Edison Hayden contributed to this report.
SPONSORED STORIES
25 year old Malaysian is one of Dubai's richest men, and his way to riches is to simple to believe! (24 Business News)
How Men Over 40 Are Looking Better With Age (The Modern Man Today)
Malaysian Banks Are Worried You Will Find Out This (The Strategy Insider)
New Saudi Crown Prince hopes to diversify away from oil (Nikkei Asian Review)
Email
Star
Comments
Trump, Putin set for high-stakes 1st meeting
By JOHN VERHOVEKALEXANDER MALLIN
Jul 6, 2017, 7:20 PM ET
Email
Star
PHOTO: President Donald Trump walks along the West Wing Colonnade at the White House in Washington, April 21, 2017 | Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at an annual meeting in the Interior Ministry in Moscow, March 9, 2017. PlayAP Photo
WATCH Donald Trump's opinion of Vladimir Putin
President Trump and members of his national security team will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow at the G-20 summit in Germany, in what is sure to be a high-stakes first meeting between the two leaders.
An administration official told ABC News that the only attendees for the meeting will be Trump, Putin, Secretary of State Tillerson, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and two translators and it is expected to last just over 30 minutes.
The official also told ABC News that the president has a single briefing binder that he is using for the entire G20 summit and does not have one specific to his meeting with Putin. Trump is not pouring over materials and potential demands since he feels more comfortable speaking off the cuff, the official added, which some note could be a disadvantage since Putin is known to prepare extensively for such meetings.
The focus of the meeting will likely be Syria and Ukraine, though Russia's aggressive cyber activity is also expected to be addressed in a broader sense -- which may or may not include the 2016 presidential election.
The meeting comes as Trump chided Russia earlier today during a speech to the Polish people for "destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran."
The official "doubted" any movement toward returning two Russian diplomatic compounds seized by former President Obama last December.
Despite the tough talk on the eve of his meeting with Putin, many are focused on what appeared to be yet another attempt by President Trump to downplay Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
Taking questions alongside the Polish president before his speech in Moscow, Trump questioned whether or not Russia was solely responsible for meddling in the U.S. election, bringing up the possibility that other countries could have been involved.
"Well I think it was Russia and I think it could have been other people and other countries," Trump said. "Could have been a lot of people interfered."
As Trump meets with Putin, questions about the Trump campaign’s involvement with Russians continue to dog the administration and Special Counsel Robert Mueller continues his investigation.
The president also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as the leaders of Japan and South Korea.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Karen Travers contributed to this report.
Email
Star
Comments
