The Iraqi special forces have now entered the first neighborhoods of the city of Mosul. Captured by the Islamic State in the summer of 2014, the city constitutes the jewel in the crown of the Sunni jihadis’ Iraqi holdings. It may be assumed that they will fight with determination to hold it.The eventual outcome of the battle for Mosul, however, cannot be in doubt. There are around 5,000 IS fighters inside the city, facing a combined force of around 100,000. The attackers have complete control of the skies, and vastly superior weaponry.
