Large Parts Of Mosul Have Been Reduced To Rubble

The brutal battle to liberate the northern Iraq city of Mosul from the so-called Islamic State has been won at considerable cost. Alongside the massive human toll, the battle has also left much of the city in ruins. Whole districts of Mosul have been reduced to rubble while buildings and streets are still laced with unexploded ordnance. According to the UN, it could take up to a decade and hundreds of millions of dollars to clear the city of explosives.

The UN also estimates that nearly 10,000 buildings, 85 percent of which were homes, were either severely damaged or completely destroyed. In addition to 8,745 homes, 735 bridges, 397 commercial and industrial and 253 public buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the fighting. This is based on estimations from satellite imagery - the true count is likely to be even higher. The effort to liberate the city has been regarded as the largest urban battle since World War II and its residents have a huge task on their hands to clear the debris and rebuild their shattered lives.