The Fall of Mosul
How did 1,500 ISIS militants beat over 30,000 Iraqi soldiers to take Mosul, the country’s second-largest city? The answer to the question, which is featured in the lengthy documentary The Fall of Mosul, is more intricate than you may think.
In June of 2014, the terrorist organization succeeded in taking control of 1.8 million people. They accomplished this seemingly impossible feat in just six long days.
What aspects of Mosul made it so attractive to the enemy? It’s impossible to fully comprehend the present state of the city without first considering its history carefully. In this regard, filmmaker Graham Templeton has a commendable approach to describing the most significant events that have influenced the evolution of Mosul over the course of thousands of years.
Throughout the city’s history, ongoing conflicts have exacerbated the differences between the Kurds, Sunni and Shiite Arabs, and other religious groups that inhabit the territory. Following the aftermath of World War I, the rise of Saddam Hussein as a dictator, the ongoing Syrian Civil War, and the current situation, a series of events have had a negative and cumulative effect on the region’s morale and energy. During a time of increasing instability and discord, Mosul has become increasingly vulnerable to the nefarious schemes of insurgent forces. This dynamic became more extreme with the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the subsequent massive destabilization that resulted.
The movie probes the demise of Mosul in the hands of ISIS militants with great subtlety and insight. It’s a narrative that is marked by mass withdrawals of military and law enforcement personnel, poor logistics, and limited supplies of weapons.
As of October of 2016, a renewed effort is underway in the Iraqi military to reclaim the city of Mosul. The future of this metropolis is still in doubt. Our current media has lacked the necessary attention to these significant occurrences, which is why this film is considered essential viewing. The Fall of Mosul provides a fascinating primer on an intricate past that still has an effect on present-day events.
Directed by: Graham Templeton
