Battle For Mosul Is Fierce Urban War

An Iraqi soldier aims his rifle during a battle with Islamic State fighters at the front line in the Intisar district of eastern Mosul, Iraq November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

Michael Georgy, Reuters: Blood, dirt and bombs: Battle for Mosul is fierce urban war

As Iraqi troops battled to gain ground a few streets away, soldiers in the Mosul district of Intisar wrapped a wounded and bloodied colleague in a blanket, lifted him off his Humvee, and sped him away from the frontlines for treatment.

Heavy shooting and mortar fire shook the neighborhood, which the soldiers were trying to recapture from Islamic State militants who have held Mosul for more than two years.

Fighting their way into the city this week, soldiers have gained a foothold in the eastern districts. A trip to the battlefront by Reuters journalists, one of the first visits into Mosul itself, showed the scale of the battle they face.

The thud of explosions boomed across the city streets and black smoke rose from an area about five blocks away. Many buildings were covered in a layer of black soot and one yellow house had a hole blown into it.

"The biggest danger is the vehicles with bombs in them - trucks and cars," Brigadier Mustafa Sabah Younis said. "They hide (in alleys) between the streets and then come out and attack us."

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WNU Editor: I suspect that when the battle for Mosul is finally over, the old saying .... "we had to destroy the village in order to save it" .... is going to be appropriate when describing the end result of this military operation.