'Violent Close Fight': US Army Warns of Increased Friendly Fire Risk in Mosul

The day after the prime minister of Iraq declared the end of Daesh’s caliphate, US Army Col. Pat Work drove through western Mosul to caution Iraqi forces of another looming threat: friendly fire.

Now that the fight for Mosul has reached its final stages, the Iraqi Army, the federal police and the Iraqi Special Forces have to be very careful to make sure the country's ground troops don't get hit in the shrunken battlespace by non-precision firing.

Work visited a number of bases and command centers inside Mosul to talk to generals from the three branches of the Iraqi security forces, ahead of a major offensive on Saturday morning, AP reported.

"It's a very violent close fight," said Work, the commander of the 82nd Airborne's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, which deployed to Iraq in January.

"When the bullets aren't enough the commanders want to turn to high explosives which might be mortars or artillery… so understanding where the other guy is all the time is kinda rule number one, so the lethal effect is directed at the target and not accidentally at another player that's on your team."

The battle for Mosul is the first time the various forces making up Iraq's military have had to cooperate in an urban environment, and there have been inevitable failures that allowed Daesh militants to concentrate their defenses on a single front.

Work said that it was essential to be on the ground beside Iraqi counterparts and have face-to-face talks with people who make decisions.

"[Daesh] has no boundaries, so our adviser network can't have any boundaries. And so part of it is getting out there daily to see it," the Colonel said, as reported by AP.

He added that even after the last pockets of the city are retaken, Daesh will continue to challenge the hold, and the US troops will continue to facilitate coordination and provide advice for Iraqi forces.