The United States has deliberately not provided advanced precision weapons to Iraqi security forces, limiting Baghdad's ability to fully liberate Mosul and fight ISIS, defense analyst Ahmad al-Sharifi told Sputnik Persian.

Axar.az reports citing to Sputnik "Sixty-two countries, including the United States, are part of the international coalition in Iraq. The US has enormous military capabilities and the most cutting-edge weapons. However, airstrikes conducted by foreign planes have not had a crushing effect on ISIS," he said, adding that the counterterrorism operation in Iraq has been used to pressure politicians in other countries.

Washington's decision to refrain from providing advanced armaments to Baghdad has slowed down the army's advance against terrorists, the analyst said, adding that Iraqi security forces have lost their advantage as a result. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has given the green light to arms deliveries to the Syrian Kurds in their efforts to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa, ISIS's de facto capital.
Brigadier General Yahii Rasul named ISIS's fierce resistance as the main reason why Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, has not been fully liberated. The city has symbolic value for the militant group since it was in the Great Nuri Mosque that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the rise of ISIS's caliphate, he added.

"Terrorist attacks in different parts of Iraq, including the attack on Kurdish-administered areas near Kirkuk, have one goal. They are aimed at boosting morale of the militants who are suffering defeat after defeat in Mosul and elsewhere," he said.