Mosul

"Our Iraqi and Syrian partners are sacrificing not only for their own countries, but for the region and the rest of the world as well," says Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the American commander as U.S. forces help Iraqi troops in Mosul.

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A U.S. Commander Works With Iraqi Forces To Fight 'Brutal Enemy' ISIS

12:25am February 24, 2017

by Alice Fordham

As the war against ISIS enters a tough new phase, a visit with Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, the senior American commander in Iraq, shows his coalition troops deeply involved in the fight.

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Iraqi forces gather at Mosul's airport during an offensive to retake the western side of the city from ISIS Thursday. Government forces reportedly entered the airport on the southern edge of the city for the first time since 2014.

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Fight For Mosul Moves Westward And Centers On City's Airport

9:35am February 23, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Inside western Mosul, a resident tells NPR that ISIS has forced residents to knock holes in their houses to create tunnels for the militants to use.

A fighter of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitaries stands guard near the front-line village of Ayn al-Hisan, west of Mosul, where Iraqi forces were preparing to launch an offensive to retake the western side of Mosul from the Islamic

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Iraq Opens Offensive On Western Mosul, In New Push To Reclaim ISIS Stronghold

10:41am February 19, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Iraqi forces, which have largely cleared ISIS militants from the eastern half of the city, launched operations Sunday to reclaim the rest of Mosul, where commanders expect an even tougher fight.

People shop after returning to their homes in east Mosul in January.

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Life Inches Back To Normal In East Mosul, But Worries Remain

7:54am February 18, 2017

by Alice Fordham

As Iraqi and U.S. forces plan to attack ISIS on the western side of the city of Mosul, residents are trying to restart their lives in the freed eastern side of the city. Not everyone feels safe.

Men push a cart at a makeshift river crossing next to a bridge destroyed by Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, on Thursday. The Iraqi forces have reclaimed much of eastern Mosul, but the Islamic State still controls much of the western side of the ci

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Iraqi Troops Edge Deeper Into Mosul — With Caution

12:57pm January 15, 2017

by Jane Arraf

After four months of fighting, Iraqi forces have reached the Tigris River that divides Mosul. But it's been slow going and there's plenty of fighting ahead in the densely packed city in northern Iraq.

A member of the Iraqi special forces' Counter-Terrorism Service stands guard next to a damaged building at Mosul university on Sunday, during an ongoing military operation against the Islamic State.

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Iraqi Forces Retake Mosul University From ISIS, Military Spokesman Says

11:49am January 15, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

The capture of the campus marks a crucial step in the bloody, complex fight for the key Iraqi city. But tall challenges still remain for the country's special forces.

Four Iraqi commandos at the base were among those awarded medals by Defense Secretary Ash Carter during his visit earlier this month.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter Predicts 'Tough Fight' Ahead To Retake Mosul

8:08pm December 22, 2016

by David Welna

In the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS, the Qayyarah Airfield West is a key staging base run by Iraqi and U.S. forces. Ash Carter visited there Dec. 11 and awarded medals to eight Iraqi soldiers.

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A young fighter stands at a checkpoint near the Jada'aa camp for internally displaced people. Just before dusk, the sky is darkened by smoke from oil fires set by ISIS nearby.

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For Iraqi Families With ISIS Links, Agonizing Choices — And Consequences

10:09am December 18, 2016

by Jane Arraf

Most of the almost 10,000 residents of the Jada'aa camp for internally displaced people are from the Mosul area. Hundreds of families were expelled from their villages after relatives joined ISIS.

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U.S.-Led Coalition Hits Main Mosul Hospital With Airstrike

12:47pm December 08, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS says it launched the strike at the request of the Iraqi military, and that ISIS was using the hospital complex as a command and control center.

Iraqi children who were displaced by fighting in Mosul follow instructions given by a teacher, center, during an outdoor class at a camp for internally displaced people in Hassan Sham on Nov. 10.

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ISIS Drove Them From School, Now The Kids Of Mosul Want To Go Back

9:21am November 30, 2016

by Alice Fordham

A boy from Mosul, now in an Iraqi camp, quit school after ISIS took it over. "The children were terrified," says his mother. "They should be playing, and instead it was blood, blood everywhere."