Military.com reports that “he fall of Mosul will set in motion yet another training cycle for the Iraqi Security Forces and a return to the counter-insurgency strategy that will keep U.S. troops in Iraq indefinitely, according to U.S. military officials.”

“The battle for Mosul ‘will not be the last stand”‘ in Iraq for Daesh, an Arabic acronym for the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria, a U.S. military official who spoke on grounds of anonymity said last Friday. ‘Clearing Mosul of Daesh will not be the end of Daesh and will not mark their military defeat,’� the official said.”

“The U.S. defense establishment from Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on down has predicted with near total confidence that the fall of Mosul was inevitable, although tough fighting was expected once the ISF enters the city itself.”