French press review 18 October 2016

As the battle for Mosul rages, the French papers warn of the tasks awaiting the liberated country and its allies after the downfall of IS. Meanwhile, small town Americans lick their wounds as  the Trump candidacy crumbles.

We begin with reactions to news that US-backed Iraqi forces deployed in the offensive to recapture Mosul, the capital of the Islamic State, have gained more ground than expected.

Prior to the operation, the US-led coalition said it had trained more than 45,000 Iraqi troops and launched more than 10,000 precision strikes in Iraq -- including more than 70 in the Mosul area this month against positions held by the Caliphate..

According to Le Journal de la Haute-Marne the thousands of men engaged in the battle of Mosul ran into the war front full of innocent enthusiasm, well equipped and driven by the determination to erase the humiliating defeat of the Iraqi army in 2014.

Le Figaro however holds that the symbolic victory claimed by the Iraqi forces may play against the interests of the allies.The right-wing publication urges the US-led coalition to ensure that the regime in Iraq does not marginalize other rebel groups and communities as they get carried away by the euphoria of victory.

It would be a grave mistake, warns, Le Figaro, to allow post-war frustrations to spark another war.

Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace agrees, pointing to the imperative to start a military, humanitarian and strategic plan to tackle the daunting challenges awaiting Iraq after the fall of the Islamic caliphate such as the influx of refugees who will be streaming into Turkey.

The paper points out, there should be a road map for complex negotiations about the future role in Iraq for the other rebel forces and movements which fought for the liberation of the country such as the Shiite militia, the Peshmergas Kurds and their Turkish godfathers.

La Presse de la Manche stresses the point, arguing that military conquests like earthquakes are always followed by aftershocks.

Le Midi Libre warns that the battle of Mosul risks turning into carnage "unwitnessed in the history of human barbarism".

As the paper observes, the Islamic State terrorists are probably "waiting to offer themselves one last blood bath before dying as martyrs".

Meanwhile, as Donald Trump battles to rescue his collapsing White House campaign, l'Humanité says his unexpected sucess over his Republican rivals is a symbol of an America in deep crisis.

According to the Communist daily, he stands as the voice of small town folks who feel abandoned after the ravages of the automobile industry and subprime crisis against the elite in Washington and New York who they believe regard them with contempt.