Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Former FP roundtable participant tapped to lead Iraqi offensive to re-take Mosul — but will he ask for U.S. ground forces?

It was interesting to see that Maj. Gen. Najim Abdullah al-Jubouri has been asked by the Iraqi government to lead the offensive against ISIS aimed at re-capturing Mosul.

Screen Shot 2015-04-22 at 10.30.31 AM
Screen Shot 2015-04-22 at 10.30.31 AM

It was interesting to see that Maj. Gen. Najim Abdullah al-Jubouri has been asked by the Iraqi government to lead the offensive against ISIS aimed at re-capturing Mosul.

It was interesting to see that Maj. Gen. Najim Abdullah al-Jubouri has been asked by the Iraqi government to lead the offensive against ISIS aimed at re-capturing Mosul.

The downside is that he said fairly recently that he thought American forces would be needed to re-take that city.

Al-Jubouri, a former mayor of Tel Afar, participated two years ago in a roundtable discussion held by Susan Glasser, then the editor of Foreign Policy, and me. He commented then that the Americans tended in Iraq at the beginning to rely too much on Iraqi yes-men. He also was critical of the American focus, saying that: “I think American forces focus just on the enemy, on al Qaeda, and they forget about the people. I think if you want to win the war against al Qaeda, you should protect the people first. The American forces always, in the beginning, in Iraq, they put their eyes on al Qaeda, and they don’t care about the people.”

More recently, he spoke at New America’s conference on the Future of War, and offered his thoughts about how to counter ISIS. To have Sunnis on your side in Iraq, he said, the de-Baathifcation law has to go: “As long as this law is used against the Sunni people there will not be true reconciliation in Iraq and Mosul… And every other Sunni area will not be safe from ISIS.” He noted that the people of Mosul don’t trust Peshmerga fighters, and that any effort to recapture the city will need to include tribal fighters—presumably Sunni. Here is a video of his whole talk. “If we win the people, we win the battle.”

He also says (at 9:34 on the video) that, “I think it would be very difficult to defeat ISIS in Nineweh without American forces.”

Here’s a link to the entire FP discussion in which he participated.

(HT to Peter Bergen)

YouTube

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.