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The battle to retake Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city, from ISIS is underway. Iraqi forces with backing from the U.S. have retaken the east bank of the city. A renewed push to take back the more heavily populated west bank will begin soon.

Fighting is expected to be ferocious, with heavy casualties among civilians and Iraqi soldiers, and destruction of the citys infrastructure.

The liberation of Mosul will not be complete with the military operations that oust ISIS. Failing to get the civilian response right risks a short-term pyrrhic victory and widening civil war in Iraq.

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This should concern the U.S., as instability in Iraq threatens U.S. foreign policy interests in the Middle East and violence that continues to create large numbers of refugees.

Steps are required to manage the needs of displaced civilians and get them back home. Since the start of the conflict with ISIS, a peak of 3.4 million Iraqi civilians were displaced by violence, and 3 million remain displaced today. An additional half million people may be displaced during the fight to take back remaining parts of Mosul.

On our recent trips to Erbil and Baghdad, where the military and humanitarian responses to Mosul are being managed, we spoke with numerous stakeholders and identified key challenges that will need to be resolved to stabilize Mosul and get its civilians back home.

Related: Trump: Iraq launched Mosul offensive to make Hillary look good

The government of Iraq is sending displaced persons from Mosul into camps instead of allowing them to move to other urban areas due to concerns that there might be ISIS collaborators among the displaced.

The civilians identification documents are taken from them for as long as they stay in the camp. They are permitted to return to their homes when it is considered safe, but widespread destruction of public, residential, commercial and agricultural infrastructure means that it may be years before they can go home.

While security concerns are understandable, a solution must be found that respects international norms against holding displaced civilians in detention.

We visited two emergency camps a short distance from Mosul. Khazer is a tent city of over 32,000 people, next to Hassan Sham with a similar number. Despite the valiant efforts of aid workers to supply basic needs, these emergency camps are not equipped to house Iraqis for more than a few months.

Girls cover their ears as a helicopter strafes nearby buildings in a street behind the frontline in the Intisar neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq, on November 13, 2016. Shelly Culbertson and Linda Robinson write that 3 million displaced Iraqis are living in flimsy tents without electricity, only outdoor pumps for water, no 24-hour health care services and no spaces, where people could prepare hot food, community activities and psychosocial treatment. These traumatized people fear for their futures. Chris McGrath/Getty

In addition to the flimsy tents without electricity, only outdoor pumps for water, no 24-hour healthcare services, and no spaces where people could prepare hot food, community activities and psychosocial treatment is lacking for these traumatized people who fear for their futures.

Indeed, conditions in parts of Mosul and nearby liberated villages are not safe for civilians to return to because of the heavy levels of explosive remnants of war. ISIS heavily mined public buildings, homes and fields. We heard anecdotes of baby cribs with booby-traps. One village of 450 families had 550 mines.

The water treatment plant in Bartallah is so heavily mined that it will need to be detonated rather than cleared. Demining is an expensive and dangerous process. U.N. agencies and the U.S.government are funding demining in targeted ways, but greater investment in demining is essential to promote early and safe return of civilians.

In Mosul and nearby villages, basic public services, such as water and sanitation, healthcare and education, need to resume. Yet destroyed infrastructure and the thousands of public sector employees who fled mean that resumption will be no quick or easy task.

For example, six of Mosuls 12 hospitals have been destroyed. Many health care workers and teachers have fled. While United Nations agencies and implementing nongovernmental organizations have labored intensely to meet basic needs with temporary assistance, we see a gap in supporting Iraqi government services. For example, hospitals treating trauma in the nearby city of Erbil are overflowing to the extent that they cannot provide treatment in a timely manner for their own city residents.

After the immediate humanitarian needs are met, it will be important to shift responsibility, assistance and capacity building to Iraqi institutions, so that they have the means to take over and care for their own.

Finally, resumption of normality and daily life depends on civilians feeling safe and repairing relations among different ethnic communities. This requires a trained and adequately staffed police force that can maintain security in the street, behave according to standard principles of community policing, and gain the trust of fellow citizens that they will not behave in retaliatory or arbitrary ways.

The officials that we interviewed noted a need for at least 25,000 trained Iraqi police to fulfill these duties in Mosul. However only 12,000 have received any sort of training at all.

Security among the population also depends upon a reconciliation process among differing communities from Mosuls multiethnic communities. Less than 3 percent of the stabilization program funded by the U.S. and coalition partners is devoted to social cohesion efforts. A priest who runs a settlement of displaced Christians told us that very few if any of them anticipate going home because of fears of relations with other communities.

Meeting all of these challenges in a way that sets the city of Mosul and its surroundings on a path to stability and future prosperity is a tall order.

It depends upon just and competent leadership from the government of Iraq.

It requires security forces to comport themselves in ways that respect human rights. It depends on United Nations leadership to manage many of the technical issues of stabilization.

And it also depends upon the intellectual and diplomatic leadership of the U.S., a role that no other entity can fill.

At a time when it may be easier for the U.S. to focus its attention within its own borders, it is important to remember that U.S. leadership can make a difference to these displaced civilians while protecting U.S. national interests.

Shelly Culbertson is a policy analyst and Linda Robinson is a senior international policy analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.

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What Will Trump Do About Iraq's Displaced Millions? - Newsweek

HABBANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - Iraqi soldiers have discovered two shallow graves containing the bodies of people executed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the western desert town of Rutba, officials said Thursday.

"The Iraqi army found two mass graves in Rutba containing the bodies of members of the security forces and of civilians," a captain in the army's 1st division told AFP.

He said the first indications suggested the victims had been executed by ISIS when the jihadist group took control of the town in mid-2014.

Rutba, a small town of significant strategic value, lies on the road to Jordan, about 390 kilometres west of Baghdad.

The mayor of the town, which was retaken from ISIS in May last year, said one grave was found on a plot in a central neighbourhood that had been used to dump hospital waste while the other was located on Rutba's southern edge.

"The bodies we have seen have bullet impacts... We don't know the exact number of bodies because we are leaving this work to a forensic team but we expect there are about 25," Imad Meshaal said.

Rutba is very isolated in the desert of Anbar, a vast western province that has long been a Sunni insurgent stronghold and has borders with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria.

ISIS militants have attacked the town several times since the security forces retook control of it.

Dozens of mass graves have been found across areas of Iraq that ISIS seized in 2014 and have since been retaken by the security forces.

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Mass graves found in western Iraq: Officials - The Straits Times

A couple in El Cajon who met and fell in love while fighting the war in Iraq now fear that the President's travel ban may keep their families apart.

Amanda Matti was working as a U.S. Navy Intelligence Analyst and her husband was working as an Iraqi Interpreter, when the two met in Baghdad in 2005. Nowher husbands family fears the proposed travel ban will keep them separated from loved ones still in the Middle East.

It was love at first sight for both of us, it was pretty amazing, Amanda Matti told NBC 7.

Matti had been in Iraq for only three days and needed an interpreter to help with her work. She said she knew things would never be the same after meeting this man.

For months the pair worked side by side and spent several weeks on the front lines in Iraq near the Syrian border.

His work was dangerous, serving alongside members of the Marine Corps and Army in battles, including the first Battle of Fallujah and in Ramadi, said Matti. He was injured in combat several times, and there were many close calls.

"He was shot in the chest, luckily he was wearing body armor," said Matti.

Interpreters in Iraq also lived under the constant threat of being captured by insurgents.

"They were being systematically targeted -- they were being kidnapped and executed and dumped in street alleys. They were considered traitors to their country," said Matti.

The people of Iraq lived in chaotic fear at that time.

"They've had to sleep you know with AK-47s, and they've watched as their neighbors -- for years and years were good friends with -- suddenly turn on them," Matti told NBC 7.

The U.S. military was quick to question the couple's relationship, which was confusing for Matti because some of the men she worked with in the Navy had relationships with foreign women without any scrutiny.

Their affair resulted in a nine month investigation that kept the pair separated. At one point investigators even looked into whether Matti could be a possible spy, she said.

Matti eventually left the Navy. She said it was all because she fell in love with an Iraqi man.

She returned to the U.S., eventually followed by the Iraqi translator who is now her husband. It took two years of undergoing an extensive vetting process before her husband was able to immigrate to the U.S., where the two married and have two daughters together.

Some of his close family members were also eventually able to immigrate as refugees, but not all.

"A lot of these refugees are simply trying to find a safe haven so they don't have to worry about their children being annihilated by bombs," Matti told NBC 7.

Matti understands the fear of terrorism, but says the country needs to strike a delicate balance between security and liberty.

"The Iraqis and the service members who have served in Iraq have come face-to-face with it," said Matti of terrorism.

Although some people in the community where she lives in El Cajon support the proposed travel ban, she does not.

"It's giving people a false sense of security," said Matti.

"We keep limiting our own liberty here to achieve a sense of safety and there's got to be a balance."

Published at 8:58 PM PST on Feb 8, 2017 | Updated 55 minutes ago

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Couple Brought Together in Iraq Fear Travel Ban Will Keep Families Apart - NBC 7 San Diego

Iraq has been blighted by ongoing conflict since the early 2000s, however the rise of the Islamic State in the northwest of the country in 2014 has caused considerable chaos and loss of life. Since the group gained territory across large swathes of Iraq, more than 3 million people have become internally displaced (IDPs), or have fled to border countries such as Turkey and Jordan as refugees. Almost half of those fleeing have taken refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan, including thousands of ethnic Kurds, Yazidis and Syrians escaping the Syrian civil war. The conflict has significantly weakened the health infrastructure in the country, and over 35% of Iraqi doctors have fled the country.

In 2014, Doctors of the World launched operations in Iraqi Kurdistan to provide access to healthcare for displaced people fleeing the Islamic State. Our teams work alongside the Iraqi government to provide medical and psychological assistance to refugees and IDP populations, such as those living in Chamisku camp on the border with Turkey.

We we run mobile health clinic projects in the newly liberated areas around Sinjar, such as Borek village and our teams are also active in the southern governorate of Kirkuk, where we operate 4 mobile clinics. In 2016 we expanded our operations in light of the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State, which resulted in the forced movement of thousands of people trying to escape the fighting between the Iraqi government and IS. We currently operate in once-small towns such as Kalata Farhahn, 12 miles from Mosul, where many have taken refuge.

Several of the displaced Iraqis fled to Chamisku refugee camp the largest IDP camp in northern Iraq. For the 26,000 residents of the camp, access to healthcare is extremely limited. Doctors of the World provides primary medical care, sexual and reproductive healthcare, psychosocial support and nutritional screening to identify cases of malnutrition in babies and children.

We provide 250 consultations a day in Chamisku camp, and many of our team are themselves refugees who live in Chamisku. Ghazwa Breassam, a mother of 2 children who fled Mosul with her family, provides consultations. About one in ten women who come to visit us are pregnant and there are often complications with the pregnancies. Many have undergone tremendous stress due to trauma. Even though they are safe here, its difficult to carry a child and give birth in this environment. We provide advice on family planning and a lot of emotional support, says Ghazwa.

Many of the people we treat have experienced significant trauma, and as a result require critical psychosocial support to help them cope. Most of our patients have witnessed shocking human rights abuses, such as acts of torture, executions and enslavement. In addition to providing individual counseling, our teams also provide group counseling sessions and psychosocial activities for children affected by the violence. We also conduct trainings for local medical and paramedical staff.

One of our psychologists working in Chamisku, Hairan Khalifa, fled with her Yazidi family to escape the Islamic State. Two of her cousins were killed, and the fate of her grandmother is still unknown. She currently lives in two neighboring tents with nine family members: her mother, her four sisters, her brother, his wife and her two nephews. Hairan believes that in her line of work, The most essential thing is to listen to people. I often see patients three or four times and their story is usually similar to mine. I do not prescribe medication, but I try to give advice to reduce stress. I try to be positive, to say the right thing and to bring some comfort. If their condition worsens, then they see a doctor and sometimes go to the hospital.

While the fighting in Mosul rages on, it is likely that more people will flee. Hairan tries not to dwell on the fate of her family too much. I hope one day we can leave this country, we have no future here. But for now, she concentrates on her work in Chamisku helping those fleeing the Islamic State to put the horrors of war behind them.

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Iraq: 12 Miles From the Front Line - ReliefWeb

A Belgian militant had a medical note saying he had back pain and would not join the battle. A fighter from France claimed he wanted to leave Iraq to carry out a suicide attack at home. Several requested transfers to Syria. Others just simply refused to fight.

The documents on 14 problem fighters from the Tariq Bin Ziyad battalion made up largely of foreigners were found by Iraqi forces after they took over an Isis base in a neighbourhood of Mosul last month.

At its peak, Isis drew thousands of recruits each month and controlled about a third of Iraqs territory, and the foreigners who poured in from dozens of countries have been characterised as the most die-hard fighters. But the group has steadily lost ground and appeal.

The militants are now besieged in the western half of Mosul, once the biggest city Isis controlled and the heart of its self-proclaimed caliphate. But the groups losses have triggered concerns in Europe that disillusioned fighters might find their way home.

He doesnt want to fight, wants to return to France, said the notes on a 24-year-old listed as a French resident of Algerian descent. Claims his will is a martyrdom operation in France. Claims sick but doesnt have a medical report.

He was one of five fighters in the file listed as having French residency, or as originally from France.

More citizens from France have joined Isis than from any other country in Europe since 2011, when Syria's popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad turned violent and fuelled the rise of extremist groups.

A member of the Iraqi security forces removes a banner bearing the logo of Isis in eastern Mosul last month (Getty)

The French government reported a sharp decrease in the number of its citizens travelling to Syria and Iraq to join the group in the first half of 2016 but said that nearly 700 still remain there, including 275 women and 17 minors.

The forms in the file are marked with the year 2015 but appear to have been filled out later as they specify the dates that some of the militants joined, which stretch into 2016.

In addition to each militants name, country of origin, country of residency, date of birth, blood type and weapons specialties, the documents list the number of wives, children and slave girls each had. A photo is also included. It was not possibly to verify the personal information, but Iraqi officers who found the file said they believe it is genuine.

Two men from Kosovo refused to fight and asked to move to Syria. One said he had head pain.

Of the more than 4,000 foreign fighters who have left European Union nations for Iraq and Syria, around a third have returned, according to a report from The Hague-based International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. About 14 per cent have been confirmed dead, while the rest remain overseas or their whereabouts are unknown.

Air strikes destroy Isis drone base in Mosul

People say that they are the most motivated, but there are plenty of foreign fighters that went and found that the Isis experience wasnt what they thought it would be; they thought it would be a great adventure, said Aymenn al-Timimi, an analyst specialising in militant groups who has compiled an online database of Isis documents, some of which indicate similar issues of morale.

The organisation keeps meticulous records, leaving clues to its inner workings as the fighters are ejected from territory.

Iraqi counter-terrorism forces discovered the documents in a house in Mosuls Al Andalus neighbourhood that was being used as an administrative base for the Tariq Bin Ziyad battalion.

The militants were seen removing documents and computers from the building, according to neighbours, before they set fire to the building as Iraqi forces retook the area, said Lt-Col Muhanad al-Tamimi, whose unit found the documents unscathed in a desk drawer.

Those foreign fighters are the most furious fighters we ever fought against, he said. When those fighters refuse to fight it means that theyve realised this organisation is fake Islam and not the one they came for.

This Washington Post illustration shows an English translation of the Isis file

Iraqi troops faced a barrage of suicide car bombs and fierce resistance during the first month of their operations to retake Mosul last year. However, after pausing to reorganise, the forces have made rapid progress on the eastern side of the city this year.

Late last month, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his forces had recaptured all neighbourhoods of Mosul east of the Tigris river and that Isis militants had collapsed quickly.

Edwin Bakker, a research fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism and a professor of counter-terrorism at Leiden University in the Netherlands, said that fighters from Western European countries are largely known to intelligence agencies, but that there is less information on those from countries such as Bosnia and Kosovo.

With open borders in Europe, these fighters might return home and stage attacks on the continent, he said. But warnings of a tsunami of returning foreign fighters are exaggerated, he said.

We shouldnt underestimate the numbers that have gone to live there and die there, he added.

Another 30-year-old French national in the file is noted as having been involved in the departure of Abu Azzam al-Fransi and his wife from the land of the caliphate. Fransi indicates that the fighter he helped leave was also from France.

Lt-GenAbdul Ghani al-Assadi, commander of Iraqs counter-terrorism forces, said there are many foreign fighters in Mosul, and that foreign suicide bombers have been responsible for many of the 350 car bombs launched toward their lines.

In one Isis headquarters in the Dhubat neighbourhood of Mosul, his forces found a stash of passports 16 Russian and four French. There were also 20 blank Iraqi passports taken from Mosuls passport department, he said, speculating that the militants are forging them to be able to leave the country.

Despite the recent rapid advances in eastern Mosul, Iraqi generals still expect a bloody fight ahead. The western side of the city, home to 750,000 civilians, is surrounded by Iraqi forces and the Isis members still there will have little choice but to fight or die.

There are still a lot of people that are motivated, Bakker said. The majority is there to fight.

TheWashington Post

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Isis file reveals 'problem' foreign fighters are refusing to fight in Iraq ... - The Independent