The long-suffering Iraqi Mosul. Since February, American-led coalition has been trying to storm the terrorists out of the city. The city is being bombed. According to the UN data, ISIS terrorists in Mosul make the civilians go to mine-infested buildings and use them as human shields. Hundreds of thousands of refugees try to get away, never really knowing how to do it. If you remember, during a recent storm in Aleppo, Syria they created special passages, so that the civilians could get away. They also ceased fire for that purpose.

During the entire storming of Aleppo the aviation wasn't used at all. In Mosul everything is different. That's why the Iraqi President Fuad Masum states that the city is definitely in the midst of a humanitarian disaster. In Aleppo, VKS RF did not participate at all. The attention was centered around creating humanitarian passages, as well as delivering the necessary help to the locals.





In Mosul, as stated by the coalition's representative Joseph Scrocca, that regardless of civilian casualties, the coalition will not step down even when things get extra hard. Looks like it's not even about humanitarian aspects of the operation or about making it easier for the civilians. This is how Sergey Lavrov commented on this on Tuesday. Everybody remembers how the western countries and their media reacted to the situation in Aleppo. Meanwhile, they are trying to block out the humanitarian situation in Mosul, staying quiet about the scale of the issue.

Whereupon, about 400,000 civilians fled the city because of the horrible situation they were in. The militants are fleeing as well. Regardless of the American-led coalition's statement that the city is surrounded, the terrorists still make it through to Syria's Deir ez-Zor. Colonel-General Rudskoy spoke of this during the general staff meeting. In spite of the coalition stating they completely surrounded Mosul, militants still make it out of the city to Syria's Deir ez-Zor. Its military post has been active in the area for the past few years.

According to our data, just last week at least 800 militants left Mosul towards the Syrian border without any obstruction. Today, as Americans suppose, there are less than 1000 militants of the so-called Islamic State in Western Mosul. On Thursday this data was officially presented by the coalition's representative, Colonel Joseph Scrocca. According to our estimates, there were about 2000 militants there in the beginning of the operation. We think there a lot less of them now. We suppose their number has decreased by more than half. Our military correspondent Anton Stepanenko is reporting from the Mosul suburb.

This is my husband. This is Nasser, my brother. This is Ahmed, also my brother. When the militants killed her cop husband, she enrolled in the Shia Troops, Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi. In just two years Vahida became officer in command. She is the only one like this. Now there are 200 people under her command. You see all the graves? It's all the guys from our troop. The Shia Troops of Iraq were created in June, 2014, when ISIS took over Mosul, Kirkuk, Tikrit and Baghdad was in real danger. The movement now participates in the battles for Mosul. I'm coming with the journalists. Increase the surveillance, we're almost there. We're driving on a narrow passage, about 5 km wide, fought off from ISIS. This is Arab land, the road connects Baghdad to Mosul, bypassing Iraqi Kurdistan, whose relationship with Baghdad is complicated.

The Kurds are fighting for their independence, but for now they're allies. The road is protected by a series of posts and pikes from both sides. The frontline here goes through Tigris. ISIS on the other side is basically blocked. On this strip the Shia Troops Ashdi Al-Shaabi are blocking terrorists' attempts to reunite with the militants fighting in Mosul. The area is cut off from Mosul, with its own entrapment, and from the main ISIS forces to the west, where under their control is the land of the Syrian-Iraqi border. We're ready to move forward. The militants are surrounded, but we don't have the orders. A

mericans made this region their active aviation zone and we have no way to contact them, so I am holding my guys back. On the other side, along the riverbank are the buildings with ISIS watch towers on them. Vahida says they also watch their movements. If there's one shot from that side of the river, we'll fire our mortars. It happens here. Anyway, we're leaving in 20 minutes. It's safer this way. I asked her if she cries in this war. Sometimes I want to. I've seen a lot here. Broken lives, terrorists' brutality. But nobody from my troop has ever seen me cry. She has 3 daughters and 3 grandkids. She hasn't seen them in 4 months. If they don't visit, she won't see them for awhile. She has to fight. But the war in Iraq seems endless. Because of massive civilian casualties from the strikes by the coalition the operation to free Mosul has significantly decreased its pace.

Iraqi forces announced they won't enter the so-called Old City until they seriously exhaust the ISIS militants. They don't fight without the support of the artillery or aviation, So they'll exhaust in all the same ways — hitting residential areas, where up to 400,000 people may be held hostage.