Martyn Aim

Near Dark - The Battle for Mosul

While the liberation of Mosul is complete the war against ISIS continues. In the last months of the battle for control of the city Iraqi forces clashed with Islamic State militants in the rubble of the narrow lanes of the Old City of west Mosul - fighting house to house. From the mass graves and burning oil fields of northern Iraq to the prisons and slave markets of Mosul, the shared testimony of Iraqi's who have fled Islamic State occupation are unimaginable in their cruelty. Islamic State militants move among civilians planning future attacks. Even with the full liberation of Mosul the threat Islamic State poses to the future stability of Iraq – and Syria and beyond – remains. It is not possible to bomb this fierce philosophy into submission - the fight is far from over.