The Spear Brigade in Western Mosul

Some of the heaviest fighting in Mosul has occurred in the western neighborhoods of the city. Al Qaeda in Iraq and its terrorist allies fought pitched battles with Iraqi and U.S. forces there earlier this year in an attempt to prevent the security forces from establishing outposts in the city. Al Qaeda conducted suicide car and vest attacks as well as RPG and small arms attacks as the troops attempted to build these bases and checkpoints. The soldiers of the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Iraqi Army division, led by Brigadier General Taha Askar, the Iraqi police, and the U.S. soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment fought through the attacks and have since established a foothold in the neighborhood. Attacks are still up in Mosul, but the attacks are less effective than in the past. Catastrophic IED attacks are the exception, not the norm. Multiple clear and hold operations are being conducted as the Iraqi and U.S. security forces work to consolidate their gains, but reconstruction in the western part of the city is lagging. This slideshow looks at the Spear Brigade and their U.S. advisors in action in western Mosul.