Skip linksSkip to Content
play
Live
Navigation menu
  • News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • Explained
  • Opinion
  • Sport
  • Video
    • Features
    • Economy
    • Human Rights
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Podcasts
play
Live

In Pictures

Gallery|Conflict

The battle for western Mosul

As fighting continues between Iraqi forces and ISIL fighters, civilians have been fleeing the city in droves.

Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Iraqi police look out over ISIL positions from the frontline village of Albu Saif. Before reaching the city limits, Iraqi forces had to fight their way through a string of small villages. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
By Tommy Trenchard
Published On 18 Mar 201718 Mar 2017
facebooktwitterwhatsappcopylink

Mosul, Iraq – Last month, Iraqi forces resumed their assault on the city of Mosul, which has been under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS) since 2014.

The eastern side of the city was recaptured in a three-month offensive that ended in January, but the west, with its densely populated maze of narrow streets, is thought to pose a greater challenge.

Surrounded by a diverse array of Iraqi forces, the remaining ISIL fighters are digging in for a fight to the end, using car bombs, snipers and grenade-laden drones to slow the troops’ advances.

Meanwhile, civilians have been fleeing Mosul in droves, with tens of thousands more expected to be displaced as fighting continues in the weeks ahead.

Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
A sniper from the Iraqi army's emergency response division fires at ISIL fighters in western Mosul from the eastern bank of the Tigris. Since January, the river has divided the city into ISIL-controlled and government-controlled sides. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Advertisement
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
A soldier from the Iraqi army's 16th division climbs stairs in an abandoned house in east Mosul. Though the eastern half of the city was officially retaken in January, ISIL snipers, bombings and drone attacks have continued to take a toll. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
An Iraqi police officer wounded by shrapnel in the battle for Ghazlani military base in western Mosul receives emergency treatment. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
An Iraqi police officer uses a torch to light his way in an ISIL tunnel system outside of Mosul. The group has used an extensive network of tunnels to avoid detection and protect themselves from air strikes. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
A member of Iraq's emergency response division drives a Humvee during an operation to clear fighters from a village on the edge of Mosul. The city's narrow alleys make heavy armoured vehicles less useful than they were in the more open eastern side of the city. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
In a partially destroyed house recently recaptured from ISIL, photographs belonging to the previous occupants litter the floor. Once the city is retaken, many of its former residents will find that they have no home to return to. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Advertisement
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Families fleeing west Mosul carry white flags to avoid being mistaken for ISIL fighters. Many arrive at the edge of the city exhausted and underfed. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
In the town of Hamam Alil, 10km south of Mosul, a girl waits to be transported to a camp for displaced people. According to the United Nations refugee agency, some 4,000 people have been fleeing the city each day. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Families who have fled ISIL describe only being able to eat one meal a day, with parents sometimes going without food in order to feed their children. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
The first half of the Mosul offensive displaced some 250,000 people, many of whom now live in camps around the city, such as this one in Iraq's Kurdish region. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Many of the camp's residents do not know how long they will have to live there. Their movements are restricted, and without jobs, they are fully dependent on charities and the government. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Outside Hamam Alil camp, men are screened for any potential links to ISIL. On this day, six suspects had already been identified, and a dozen more awaited further questioning beside a security service Portacabin. Informants wearing balaclavas stalked the crowd, picking out those suspected of having ISIL ties. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Children play in the rubble of a home destroyed by fighting in Hamam Alil. After the battle for Mosul ends, repairing the infrastructure and restoring basic services will be a major challenge. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]
Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
A youth who recently fled west Mosul looks through the fence of a camp for displaced people. Local traders sell their wares at increased prices to the camp residents. [Tommy Trenchard/Panos/Al Jazeera]


    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Work for us
    • Contact Us
    • User Accounts Help
    • Advertise with us
    • Stay Connected
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2025 Al Jazeera Media Network