(Reuters) Michael Georgy - Intelligence officials said that a few months ago they noticed a growing stream of commanders and fighters flowing out of the Iraqi city of Mosul to set up bases for new operations in the Hamrin mountains in northeast Iraq, which offer hideouts and access to four Iraqi provinces. "They are digging in," said Lahur Talabany, a top Kurdish counter-terrorism official. "They'll try to hide with the population. Their cells will get smaller - instead of companies and platoons, they'll go to squads and cells," said Lt.-Gen. Steve Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition. "The notion of a caliphate is gone. The dream is gone. They will revert back to their old tactics of hit and run attacks," said senior Kurdish official and former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari. "The hardcore will keep fighting."
2017-07-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive