Troops from the Iraqi Security Forces have been unable to keep order in Mosul, a city in the northern part of the country, according to officials.
American and Iraqi leaders see Mosul, the capital of Ninawa Province and a traditional hotbed of insurgent activity by Suni insurgents, as one of the few remaining bastions of Al-Qaeda.
Last month, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered a military offensive against the terrorist group. However, the Iraqi daily, Azzaman, has reported that any progress that may have resulted from this operation seems to have evaporated. Militants have simply reentered the city, and gunmen are in control of the streets.
Officials in the province claim that an inadequate number of Iraqi soldiers were left behind to provide stability after the operation was over.
Doom and gloom have settled in the area since that time. "Residents are hopeless once again after shortly enjoying the faint light at the end of the tunnel," officials told the paper under a shroud of anonymity.
Officials are also worried about the presence of the Kurdish Peshmerga force, which watches over their districts in the predominantly Arab city.
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