In Pictures

Gallery|Conflict

Life after ISIL on the outskirts of Mosul

Thousands of civilians have made their way out of the city towards newly built IDP camps to the east.

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A woman waves a white flag from a heavily-laden pick-up truck as it approaches an Iraqi army checkpoint near the town of Bazwaya on Mosul's eastern outskirts. Thousands have fled heavy fighting there in recent days as Iraqi forces pushed further into the city. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
By John Beck
Published On 8 Nov 2016

The operation to retake Mosul has now reached the city itself. Special forces and other Iraqi army units breached its eastern outskirts just under a week ago, and have now pushed into a number of districts.

Fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) have been putting up stiff resistance, forcing Iraqi troops into grinding urban warfare and making devastating use of suicide car bombs, improvised explosive devices and snipers.

Meanwhile, thousands of civilians have made their way out of the city towards newly built camps for the internally displaced to the east. Some travelled in cars or lorries, while others made their way on foot, some herding their livestock before them.

ISIL fighters have controlled Mosul since June 2014. Despite being displaced, many civilians were overjoyed to have escaped the group’s ruthless rule. Women lifted their niqabs to feel sun on their faces for the first time in more than two years, while men shaved off their beards and enjoyed a cigarette without fear of arrest. 

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An Iraqi soldier waves from a lorry laden with people escaping Mosul through a checkpoint near Bazwaya. Most residents said they were headed to nearby camps being built for the expected exodus. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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An Iraqi woman who just escaped an area of Mosul recently retaken by ISIL righters is overcome as she is reunited with her son, a soldier, for the first time in more than two years. When ISIL took Mosul in 2014, many families were split up as some members chose to stay, or were unable to leave. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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An elderly man is helped through an Iraqi army screening point on a road east of Mosul. Troops separated military-aged men from women and children and thoroughly searched their luggage for weapons. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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A woman waits to board transport arranged by the Iraqi army for people fleeing the eastern outskirts of Mosul on foot. Some were ushered on to buses, while others squeezed on to the backs of large lorries. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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A girl from an area of Mosul recently retaken from ISIL lifts her niqab as she waits to board a lorry that will take her to a recently built camp for internally displaced people. ISIL required women to cover their faces at all times while in public. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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Men perch on a heavily laden tuk-tuk as they escape eastern Mosul. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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A man from an area on the outskirts of Mosul recently retaken from ISIL smokes a cigarette. Tobacco was banned by the group, and anyone caught smoking would face arrest and lashes. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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Women rest by the side of the road after making their way from eastern Mosul on foot. Most of those who escaped the city are heading to the newly built camps in nearby territory, controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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An Iraqi family fleeing eastern Mosul walks past the wreckage of a burned-out car. The entire area is scarred by heavy fighting. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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A young child holding a white flag looks out from a car filled with a dozen of people escaping eastern Mosul. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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A family escaping an area of Mosul recently retaken from ISIL walk past a pile of still smouldering tyres, as smoke from heavy fighting rises in the background. ISIL fighters believe the smoke from burning rubber helps to obscure their positions from Iraqi and coalition air support, although it apparently does little to hinder the air strikes. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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Iraqis piled on a pick-up truck make their way towards an Iraqi army checkpoint on a road out of Mosul, as smoke from the city rises behind them. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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Three suspected ISIL members who travelled alongside families fleeing areas of Mosul are held by Kurdish security forces at a checkpoint. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]
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One of a team of barbers, arranged by a local TV channel, trims the hair and beard of a new arrival to Hasansham camp. ISIL required men living under its rule to grow their hair and beards long. [John Beck/Al Jazeera]