Live
play
  • News
    • Middle East
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Coronavirus
  • Features
  • Economy
  • Opinion
  • Video
  • More
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Climate
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    • Podcasts

In Pictures

Gallery

In Pictures: Mosul two years after ISIL’s defeat

Two years since the end of the military operation to liberate Mosul, more than 300,000 residents remain displaced.

The crumbled streets of Mosul's old city, two years after the city was liberated from ISIL rule. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
The crumbled streets of Mosul's old city, two years after the city was liberated from ISIL rule. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
10 Jul 2019
facebooktwitterwhatsapp

More than 300,000 residents of Mosul are still displaced with no homes to go back to, two years after the end of the military operation to retake the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

About 138,000 houses were damaged or destroyed in the entire city during the conflict. In West Mosul alone, there are still more than 53,000 houses flattened and thousands more damaged. 

Most of the displaced families have run out of savings and are surviving on humanitarian aid. Only four percent of them, according to NRC, said they intended to return this year. 

Those who decided to return have to rebuild their homes themselves, at risk of being exposed to unexploded bombs and ordinance left behind after the city was retaken.

For the last two years, many of those who returned to the city have been living in damaged or destroyed houses and basements without basic services, relying on aid and support from their community while waiting for some compensation from the government.

A man walks through the rubble of the old city of Mosul. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
A man walks through the rubble of the old city of Mosul. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
Advertisement
Liqaa and her family are living in a basement in the old city of Mosul. "Those who do not have money return because they have no other option. They will live exactly how we live," she said. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
Liqaa and her family are living in a basement in the old city of Mosul. "Those who do not have money return because they have no other option. They will live exactly how we live," she said. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
"I have five children and we live in this basement room. We eat, drink and sleep here," Liqaa added. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
"I have five children and we live in this basement room. We eat, drink and sleep here," Liqaa added. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
Liqaa's husband with two of their children at the entrance of their basement. "People cannot return to this area because there are no services. In the old city, we don't have services. There is no hospital nearby. If you go to a hospital, there is no medicine. You have to buy it from outside the hospital. If you don't have money how can you live?" Liqaa said. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
Liqaa's husband with two of their children at the entrance of their basement. "People cannot return to this area because there are no services. In the old city, we don't have services. There is no hospital nearby. If you go to a hospital, there is no medicine. You have to buy it from outside the hospital. If you don't have money how can you live?" Liqaa said. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
Hussein Abbas looks at al-Nuri Mosque from his destroyed home. Abbas's house is in the heart of the old city of Mosul, which was bombed during retaking operations two years ago. It was occupied by ISIL and it is still heavily damaged and dotted with unexploded mortar shells. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
Hussein Abbas looks at al-Nuri Mosque from his destroyed home. Abbas's house is in the heart of the old city of Mosul, which was bombed during retaking operations two years ago. It was occupied by ISIL and it is still heavily damaged and dotted with unexploded mortar shells. [Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC]
Muhammed Hassan Yunis, 41, is from Mosul and has been living with his family in Hamam al-Alil IDP camp in the city for three years. He has six children, the oldest of whom suffers from heart disease and the youngest has autism. Both children need specialist treatment. [Alan Ayoubi/NRC]
Muhammed Hassan Yunis, 41, is from Mosul and has been living with his family in Hamam al-Alil IDP camp in the city for three years. He has six children, the oldest of whom suffers from heart disease and the youngest has autism. Both children need specialist treatment. [Alan Ayoubi/NRC]
Advertisement
"I want to return to Mosul but the rent is very high. In addition, finding a job in Mosul is very hard as there are very few job opportunities," said Yunis. [Alan Ayoubi /NRC]
"I want to return to Mosul but the rent is very high. In addition, finding a job in Mosul is very hard as there are very few job opportunities," said Yunis. [Alan Ayoubi /NRC]
Yunis wishes to go back to his home in Mosul. He misses his house, his job and his neighbourhood. [Alan Ayoubi /NRC]
Yunis wishes to go back to his home in Mosul. He misses his house, his job and his neighbourhood. [Alan Ayoubi /NRC]
A man riding his bicycle in the old city of Mosul. More than 300,000 residents of Mosul are still displaced with no homes to go back to. [Alan Ayoubi/NRC]
A man riding his bicycle in the old city of Mosul. More than 300,000 residents of Mosul are still displaced with no homes to go back to. [Alan Ayoubi/NRC]

Related

Most neighbourhoods in the Old City of Mosul are in ruins but people are beginning to come back, despite the lack of public services like sewage and water. [Emre Rende/Al Jazeera]

The ruins of the Old City of Mosul

Mosul was one of the most diverse cities in the Middle East with Muslims, Christians and Jews living side by side.

camera
A group of friends helps repair Ahmed Al Ebadi house in western Mosul. The house first got hit by a mortar, before being damaged by an Iraqi army vehicle. It was destroyed by a governmental bulldozer during the military campaign to retake the city of Mosul from ISIL. [Sebastian Castelier/Al Jazeera]

Mosul residents left to rebuild destroyed homes

A year after the fall of ISIL, civilians rue lack of support after their homes were heavily damaged or destroyed.

camera
More from Gallery

In Pictures: Police escalate crackdown on protests in Myanmar

Protesters flash three-finger salutes during a rally against the February 1 military coup in Yangon, Myanmar. [Reuters]

In Pictures: A year on, justice eludes victims of Delhi violence

In this February 28, 2020, photo, a man gestures as a senior Delhi police officer speaks to a group of Muslims ahead of Friday prayers near a heavily-policed fire-bombed mosque in New Delhi. [Altaf Qadri/AP Photo]

In Pictures: Ecuador prison riots leave dozens dead

Soldiers stand guard outside the CRS Turi prison in Cuenca. [Fernando Machado/AFP]

In Pictures: Ecuador Indigenous people march against ‘vote fraud’

An Indigenous supporter of Ecuadorean presidential candidate for the Pachakutik movement, Yaku Perez, takes part in a march towards the National Electoral Council in Quito. [Rodrigo Buendia/AFP]
Most Read

Iran rules out talks with US over nuclear deal

Iran insists that the United States lift all unilateral sanctions before it engages in talks over the nuclear deal [AFP]

Trump says he won’t form new party, vows to unite Republicans

Former US President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, on February 28 [Octavio Jones/Reuters]

‘Sticky bombs’ in Kashmir set off alarm bells among Indian forces

Indian soldiers examine the debris after an explosion in Lethpora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district [File: Younis Khaliq/Reuters]

Indian rooster kills owner during cockfight

The killer rooster was briefly held at the local police station before it was sent to a poultry farm [File: Reuters]
  • About
    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Community Guidelines
    • Work for us
    • HR Quality
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
  • Our Channels
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
  • Our Network
    • 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:rssinstagramyoutubetwitterfacebook
logo
© 2021 Al Jazeera Media Network