JUST PHILOSOPHISING - 'THE LIBERATION OF MOSUL! THE 'VICTORY' WHICH ALSO SPEAKS OF DEFEAT. PART 1.

'There is a tremendous irony in a situation in which a great or lowly city, town or village, can be transformed from a habitable place into one of utter devastation., and still lead some humans to declare it 'liberated.' 

For how can a  habitable place be described as 'liberated', when it is destroyed, unless it be considered 'liberated from both its people and its presumed previous occupiers?'


The Iraqi city of Mosul, which was occupied by ISIL forces back in 2014, following the disgraceful and catastrophic retreat of the Iraqi forces, have, it now seems, been retaken by the Iraqi Armed forces. Supported by American and Nato air power and Iranian forces.

Mosul, of course, after this 'liberation', is no longer a city, great or small. 

It has become a killing field. A place where ISIL forces and civilians who might or might not have supported ISIL, willingly but had been forced to do so. 

Have all been put to the sword of Iraqi forces and their allies. The city has been raised, it seems, of all of its people, and transformed into desolate ruins. Similar to many such sights we have seen in Syria, in Chechnya, Lebanon, et al, in the past.


The Prime Minister of Iraq, Mr Albadi, stood shoulder to shoulder with some of his country's armed forces, as he 'declared' this supposed great victory. 

Oblivious to the fact that any 'victory' bought at such a high cost in lives lost, property destroyed, so much misery and hatred generated, is scarcely a 'victory', but rather a glaring defeat. 

Because, how can so great a lost in lives, livelihood and property be considered a 'victory'? How can the glaring death of Mosul, be interpreted as a 'victory', without some perverse contortion of the meaning of the term?

And so it is, that, instead of calling on his country's citizens to share a moment of silence for this the second tragedy - the first being when it was gifted to the ISIL forces by the Iraqi Army - Mr Haider Al-Abadi chose to indulge in an ironic display of pointless triumphalism.' 

The tragedy of Mosul is that it has been 'Fullujahised.' As the Iraqi Town of Fallujah was obliterated by the Americans, during their invasion, with its civilian population being 'enemised', for the convenience of the military operation.

So has the people of the City of Mosul been compromised.

The 'victory' will be whether or not, Iraqis, with strong commitment and agreement between all of them - Sunnis, Shia, Kurds and other ethnic groups, will be able to rebuild the City of Mosul, into a place where all can live and prosper in peace. Irrespective of their tribal, religious, social, economic and political affiliations. 

That will be the time for 'triumphalism'; the completing of the rebuilding of the City.  And not the completion of its destruction, which is easy, especially when supported by the American firepower.

To be continued.