Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Technology
Konstantinos Antonopoulos

Mosul: A city reduced to rubble

Mosul: A city reduced to rubble

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory over the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) on July 10.

While the victory is a significant blow to ISIL, the cost of the nearly nine-month battle to retake the city has been enormous with almost a million people forced to flee, thousands killed, and much of the city reduced to rubble. 

In its latest damage assessment on July 8, UN Habitat estimated that more than 8,400 housing units had been destroyed or severely damaged. In the Old City alone, more than 5,390 housing sites were destroyed or severely damaged.

READ MORE - Mosul in ruins: 'I see only despair around us'

At the time of the final push to retake the city in early July, a senior UN official estimated the cost to rebuild the city would be more than $1bn.

Iraqi forces took the eastern side of Mosul from ISIL in January after 100 days of fighting and started attacking the western side in February. In April, the UN said the the damage to houses were two-and-a-half times greater than in the eastern districts. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.