The Battle For The Iraqi City of Mosul -- April 18, 2017

BBC: On the ground with Iraqi forces in battle for Mosul

The US-led coalition appears confident that fighters of the so-called Islamic State (IS) will be defeated in Mosul. But the battle for Iraq's second largest city has already been going on for six months and the Iraqi forces have only just reached the edges of the old city.

Optimism has been tempered by the slow progress of what has become a brutal fight for every street. In the words of the US coalition spokesman Col John Dorrian "the fight's been very, very slow and very, very hard… its gut-busting".

We joined the Iraqi forces about to launch yet another assault to take more territory. Over the past few weeks, the initial advance has slowed to a crawl with the front lines relatively static. They want to break the deadlock. This is the story of just one battle.

They mass under the cover of darkness. The same Iraq units who've been fighting here for months. The troops both battle hardened and battle weary. It's supposed to be a surprise dawn attack. But IS will be lying in wait. As we move forward on foot we soon come under fire.

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The Battle For The Iraqi City of Mosul -- April 18, 2017

Iraqi Forces Fight Door-To-Door in Mosul as Battles Enters Seventh Month -- US News and World Report/Reuters
Iraqi forces gain ground in Mosul door-to-door fighting -- Al Jazeera
Iraq military unit with Australian advisers hit by Islamic State chemical attack, no casualties -- ABC News Online
Iraqi unit with U.S., Australian advisers hit by ISIS mustard agent -- CBS/AP
Iraqi forces fight door-to-door in Mosul as battle enters seventh month -- NRT
Patrolling western Mosul a weary grind for Iraqi police -- Washington Post/AP
Iraqi forces withdraw from strategic street in west Mosul after ISIS attack -- RUDAW
As Iraqi Forces Encircle Mosul, ISIS Unleashes New Level Of Brutality On Civilians -- NPR
Meet The Iraqi Sniper Making Life Hell For ISIS Fighters In Mosul -- Task & Purpose
Iraqi and ISIS snipers face off at a historic mosque in Mosul -- VICE News
Iraq: Fears that ISIL fighters could regroup in Kirkuk -- Al Jazeera
Iraqi Forces Waging Battle for Old City of Mosul with Drones -- Asharq Al-awsa
ISIS Has No Air Force, But It Has An Army Of Drones That Drop Explosives -- Newsweek
ISIS using food to control starving population of west Mosul, report -- RT
Nearly half a million Iraqis have fled Mosul fighting -- The Boston Globe/AP
UN: Mosul fighting has displaced nearly half a million Iraqis -- DW
6 months of Mosul onslaught: Thousands of civilians killed in terrorist capital siege -- RT
Scale of civilians fleeing Iraq's Mosul 'staggering' – senior UN relief official -- UN News Centre
Trapped Mosul Civilians Could Face Worst Catastrophe of Iraq Conflict, U.N. Warns -- Reuters
Western Mosul on the verge of a ‘humanitarian catastrophe,’ UN warns -- RT
Iraq Opens New Tigris Bridge Escape Route for People Fleeing Mosul -- Reuters
What life is like for Iraqis fleeing violence in Mosul -- Al Jazeera