Mornin Ironhorse :2wave: Its worse than that. But the only real reason to telegraph in detail is to get the word out to civilians.
Still, the move bewildered some former top military commanders.
“I was surprised to see them do this,” says retired Lt. Gen. David Barno, who served as commander of US forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005. “
It’s a little perplexing to me to go into the amount of detail and the timelines that they did.” It makes some sense, however, to reinforce US confidence in the Iraqi security forces as they move to retake the ground, he adds. And from a psychological warfare perspective, “It sends a message that they are taking back the city.” It might, for example, cause IS forces to converge on the city, drawing them away from fighting elsewhere. Or it could inspire them “to make a tactical withdrawal and go somewhere else, if they realize war is coming.”
Analysts including Mr. Barno agree that there is slim chance of the latter scenario. More likely – and important:
This could be an effort to avert civilian casualties by encouraging people to leave before the fierce fighting begins.
The problem with telegraphing the plans to retake Mosul, however, is that it allows IS fighters to prepare. “That’s one of the downsides,” says Barno, who is now a distinguished practitioner in residence at American University’s School of International Service in Washington.
IS forces will not stand and fight “in big chunks of 500 here and 1,000 there.” Instead, they will plant roadside bombs and set booby traps, using their capabilities “to make it a deadly place.”
In the second battle of Fallujah, insurgent fighters set up Jersey barriers and rigged homes with explosives. Like Fallujah,
Mosul is a large city of 1 million people, and any US-backed invasion with Iraqi troops will prove to be a “very tough urban fight,” says Dr. Mansoor, chair in military history at Ohio State University in Columbus.....snip~
US outlines mission to retake Mosul from Islamic State. Why so public a plan?
Yeah, notice how top military analysts state that it gives ISIS time to prepare. Thats even after having control of the city since last year. After hanging out and partying, running their slave ring, setting up cells, and garnering support from civvies.
As you see kind of hard for some to Imagine, comprehend, and understand huh? Nothing to be concerned about at all according to the leftists here. Its par for the course, nothing new here.
Other than 25k military troops trying to take a city of 1 Million.....with an embedded enemy.