The Institute for the Study of War described civilian considerations for western
Mosul operations as follows: “Evacuating residents from western Mosul will be
challenging, whether the ISF directs Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to cross
first into eastern Mosul towards the camps east of the city, against the grain of
current advances, or towards camps west of the Tigris River. Evacuating
residents will place an added burden on the ISF to police the IDPs flows. The
ISF could elect, then, to operate while residents remain in place, as they largely
did in eastern Mosul though it slowed its advances, and import humanitarian aid
rather than take responsibility for IDPs flows. Any option will complicate urban
operations.” 58
Recommendation.
1. Civil Affairs (CA) forces should give IOs as much advance notice as security
considerations permit, when future operations are expected to cause civilian
dislocation, in order to allow IOs to plan for DC relief operations.
2. CA forces should advise commanders regarding potential impacts to military
operations of DC flows, as well as impacts of civilians staying in place.
3. After an urban area is captured, CA forces should advise commanders
regarding the level of security that will enable IOs and NGOs to enter and
operate effectively.
Implications.
If IOs, NGOs, and the host nation civilian government cannot support DCs,
forces deployed for offensive operations may unexpectedly be tasked with
humanitarian assistance, thereby diverting resources from the primary mission.
Overreliance on "stay put" policies in urban areas might lead to high numbers of
civilian casualties and/or degraded operations tempo.
If IOs/NGOs are delayed in entering a retaken area due to insecurity, DCs may
be slow to return to their homes, with negative effects on DC camp space and
host nation stability.
Event Description.
This lesson is based on ISF operations to liberate the city of Mosul from ISIS
control, beginning in Oct 2016. For a full list of references and footnotes
referenced in the lesson, see the lesson in SOLLIMS here.
Lesson Author: LCDR James LeFevre, MSC, USNR
Environmental Health Officer, 3d Civil Affairs Group
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