Donald Trump, Pentagon Differ On Mosul Fight's Success

Pentagon officials said Monday that the campaign to reclaim Mosul was proceeding as planned and that so far anti-ISIS forces in Iraq are succeeding in their fight against the terror group.

The military's upbeat assessment puts Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in an awkward position.

His repeated criticism of the handling of the operation means its success could cast shadows on his argument to be the next commander in chief, while his decision to take on the Pentagon once again highlights the sacred cows he has been willing to slay during his unconventional campaign.

For weeks, Trump has lambasted the coalition effort to re-capture the city of Mosul from ISIS, calling the undertaking a "total disaster" and saying the US and its allies were "bogged-down" there even as defense officials say they are encouraged by the progress being made.

"The campaign is on track and moving forward according to plan," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters Monday. 

"There's no question that counter-ISIL forces continue to have the momentum in this fight," he added, using the government's preferred acronym for the terror organization, also known as Daesh.

Yet Trump repeated his critique of the operation on Monday.

"Did we give Mosul enough advanced notice?" he asked rhetorically during a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "Whatever happened to the element of surprise?"

Trump's view contrasts with the assessment of military officials, who have laid out the reasons why they are discussing some -- though not all -- elements of the Mosul operation.

And, so far, they can point for back-up to developments on the ground to take back Iraq's second-largest city and key holdout for ISIS.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter "continues to be encouraged by what he is seeing," Cook said, describing the campaign as proceeding on schedule.

Cook's view was also echoed by the US special presidential envoy for the counter-ISIS coalition,Amb. Brett McGurk, while speaking Friday in Rome.

While McGurk acknowledged that the campaign for Mosul "will be a long-term effort," he said that "every single objective has been met and we continue to move forward."

On the same day, the military spokesman for the anti-ISIS coalition, US Air Force Col. John Dorrian, went even further.

"They were able to get to those places faster than they anticipated that they would," he said of local forces. "So, the Iraqis continue to be successful in the engagements against Daesh."

Because Trump has made a concentrated effort to slam the conduct of the Mosul operation, its success could undermine his claim of superior judgment as commander in chief in the final days before the November 8 election.

Non-incumbent candidates for political office always have to walk a fine line while military operations are ongoing. Typically, this involves commending the troops on fighting on the ground while simultaneously blasting the politicians in charge.

But Trump has shown a readiness to deviate from this political playbook, as he has repeatedly done for others throughout the 2016 campaign.