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The Battle for Mosul Enters Its Final Stage (33 photos)

Eight months ago, thousands of Iraqi and Kurdish troops, supported by the United States, France, Britain, and other western nations, began a massive operation to retake Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul from ISIS militants. Now, after months of war, the Iraqi military says it has reached the final few days of the battle, having encircled an estimated 350 remaining Islamic State militants in Mosul’s Old City . Reuters reports that more than 50,000 civilians remain trapped in the Old City, as ISIS fighters are “dug in among civilians in crumbling houses, making extensive use of booby traps, suicide bombers and sniper fire to slow down the advance of Iraqi troops.” Also, see previous stories on the battle for Mosul here, here, here, and here.