Mosul is the largest city in northern in Iraq, and since 2014 ISIS has controlled the city. This is an important caliphate of the Islamist group, and the recapturing of the city would mean major progress in the fight against ISIS in Iraq. In October 2016, the Iraqi troops made it their objective to recapture the city.
According to UN figures, the number of military casualties has tripled in the month of November. Approximately 1 million civilians are still trapped in the city; because of this, Iraqi troops are forced to fight house to house, street to street against ISIS. This is the safest way to prevent the expansion of ISIS without causing the deaths of thousands of civilians. This type of urban warfare is highly demanding for the Iraqi troops because it requires much time, men and resources, but regardless of all of these costs, their main priority is to protect the lives of innocent civilians.
One of the most recent strategies ISIS has started using is human shields. This is when they take civilians to the fire line to prevent military forces from attacking them. This is not only prohibited by the Geneva Convention, but it also significantly slows down the attacks of Iraqi forces. It is estimated that ISIS has taken hostage 8,000 families from Mosul to use as human shields in different battle fronts.
The battle for Mosul is not over yet. ISIS is fighting back with every resource they have, but the Iraqi troops are determined to liberate the people. The recovering of this strategic city could mark the beginning of the end for ISIS.
References
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/02/middleeast/iraq-mosul-battle-isis/
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/30/middleeast/iraq-mosul-isis-human-shields/
