ISIS Prepares for the Final Battle in Mosul

Last Ditch

Clandestine phone interviews with residents in parts of the city still held by the so-called Islamic State reveal its evolving strategy.

Published Dec. 12 2016 1:00AM EST

articles/2016/12/12/isis-prepares-for-the-final-battle-in-mosul/161212-Neuhof-isis-mosul-tease_f9l384 — AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/Getty

On a recent December evening, from the middle of ISIS-occupied territory in Mosul, Saad spoke quietly into his mobile. The Iraqi army had just been mauled at the nearby Salam hospital in a fierce ISIS ambush, and the insurgents were prowling the streets of Saad’s neighborhood.

Florian Neuhof

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ISIS Prepares for the Final Battle in Mosul

Clandestine phone interviews with residents in parts of the city still held by the so-called Islamic State reveal its evolving strategy.

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Florian Neuhof