What Is Left Of Mosul?

Washington Post: Victory in Mosul leaves survivors reeling: ‘We got our city back, but there is nothing for me in it’

MOSUL, Iraq — As Iraq’s prime minister prepared to declare victory against the Islamic State in Mosul on Monday, millions of leaflets fluttered through the skies with a promise from the government to its people that the city would never be alone again.

Across the country, the party had already started. There was dancing in the streets of Baghdad. In the southern city of Basra, fireworks crackled late into the night.

Defeat in this northern city is a heavy blow for the Islamic State, robbing the group of one of its most important strongholds and dashing its dream of running a proto-state. But viewed from the ground, Iraq’s victory is a messy business.

No one knows have many people have died here during nine grueling months of urban warfare. Half the city’s population has been displaced, and across Mosul’s western districts, the most populous neighborhoods are now shattered beyond repair.

Sitting still and alone amid the chaos of an aid distribution point this week, Shaimaa, 17, said she had escaped the fighting alone.

Read more ....

Update #1: Iraq Faces Tough Task of Rebuilding Mosul After ISIS Defeat -- Wall Street Journal
Update #2: I Saw What ISIS Left Behind in Mosul -- NYT
Update #3: What has been the human cost of liberating Mosul? -- Euronews

WNU Editor: The above video is from CNN, and it was filmed yesterday. It is a must see. As for the aftermath of this battle .... sighhh .... it is going to take years and a few generations to recover, but the scars are going to be deep and lasting for the next century.