Battle of Mosul (06:07)

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ISIS occupied the city for two years. Journalist Arwa Damon and cameraman Brice Laine spent 28 hours with soldiers and families under siege while accompanying an Iraqi counter-terrorism unit. See footage of the convoy under attack, included a suspected ISIS spy detained.

Returning to Mosul (03:24)

Damon and Laine visit two months after being caught in a street battle. Some Iraqi soldiers they had accompanied were killed; many were wounded and kept fighting. They try to shoot down an ISIS drone with explosives.

A Fearful Population (03:14)

Ahmed has been wounded multiple times; his baby daughter barely recognizes him. Iraqi soldiers have had little rest for two years. Mosul civilians expect ISIS to return and suffer from psychological warfare and trauma.

Traumatized by War (03:50)

Damon revisits a place where Iraqi soldiers mistakenly shot a taxi driver. She and Laine are reunited with a family that helped them while under attack. After they left, ISIS threatened the family at gunpoint; the children still suffer nightmares.

Caught in the Crossfire (04:52)

Damon and Laine visit the home where they took shelter overnight while under attack. A neighbor's son had been mistakenly killed by the Iraqi army and the house next door had been hit by an air strike—killing eight civilians.

Limbo (04:55)

Much of liberated Mosul is trying to recover normalcy, but the presence of ISIS lingers. Markets are busy, cell phones are available, and women no longer wear black. Damon visits a school; children are receiving psychological support after witnessing atrocities.

Mass Exodus (04:34)

ISIS sent suicide car bombers to breach Iraqi military lines; snipers targeted fleeing civilians. In two months, 150,000 refugees left Mosul.

Signs of ISIS (03:33)

Damon visits a home that had been converted into a prison. An Iraqi military unit discovers a booby-trapped tunnel dug beneath a shrine.

ISIS Munitions (02:52)

In Mosul, the Islamic State had manufactured its own ammunition, decoy Humvees, and planes for suicide bombers. Attacks still occur against Iraqi military posts and civilians in the city's liberated eastern side.

Iraq's Future (04:36)

Before leaving Mosul, Damon revisits the family that sheltered her during an ISIS attack. They recall fleeing after an air strike. They have named a baby after her and want to rebuild their lives.

Killed by ISIS (02:34)

Damon learns that two Mosul families were stuck in a house used by ISIS militants to fight advancing Iraqi military units. ISIS threatened to kill anyone trying to leave. A coalition airstrike destroyed the home—including the civilians.

Iraqi Resilience (02:53)

Damon reflects on her visits to Mosul. Two generations have experienced invasion, sectarian war and terrorism but people still express goodwill and optimism.