Iraqi forces advance on government complex in battle for Mosul

The Iraqi army and its allies have been fighting their way through a government complex in western Mosul, facing fierce resistance from ISIL.

The army’s advance is a significant blow to ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group, which once controlled up to a third of Iraq.

The government says 65,000 people have fled western Mosul since February 19 in an attempt to escape the fighting.

And many have been caught up in violence along the way.

Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker reports from Erbil.