The situation in Iraq leaves little room for optimism. It is true that some genuine, albeit slow, progress has been made towards retakingMosul, but Daesh’s effective, determined defence of the city has made
the offensive difficult and forced the Iraqi government to deploy units from the other provinces of the country. This has undermined stabilising operations in some Sunni-dominated regions, particularly Anbar province, and given Daesh an opening to re-establish itself in others, particularly around Tikrit. According to one of the speakers,the liberation of Mosul will likely occur in 2017 but it will create as many problems as it solves.