Is anything left of Mosul?

The battle to save the city and its people

The brutal fight to rid Mosul of so-called Islamic State has left the northern Iraqi city in ruins, thousands dead and survivors scattered far and wide. Just how much devastation was caused by the battle between Iraq’s forces - backed by US-led air strikes - and the militant group, and what will happen now?

While the battle for Mosul is over after nine months of fighting, its people are facing a humanitarian crisis on a catastrophic scale.

The Old City has been hit badly

Death toll estimates vary widely, from thousands to tens of thousands, and more than one million - equivalent to the population of Dublin - have fled their homes since the offensive started in October last year.

Whole neighbourhoods have been flattened, bodies remain under rubble and streets are littered with unexploded weapons, landmines and booby-traps.

Much of Iraq’s second city, controlled by IS since June 2014, has been reduced to rubble.

The mission is now regarded as the single largest urban battle since World War II.

Tale of two cities

All parts of Mosul have experienced some kind of damage, according to the latest UN assessment. However, the western half of the city, retaken in July, has suffered more than in the east - won back from IS six months earlier.

More than half of Mosul's 54 western residential districts have been significantly affected.

The UN describes 15 as “heavily damaged,” meaning most buildings are uninhabitable.

A further 23 districts are “moderately damaged,” meaning up to half of the buildings have been destroyed or are structurally unsound, and 16 districts are “lightly damaged”

While UN satellite analysis suggests about 10,000 buildings have been severely damaged or completely destroyed, the real level of destruction is believed to be higher.

Taking into account damage to multiple floors of buildings, not seen via satellites, the UN now estimates the real number of damaged buildings to be more than three times greater - about 32,000.

Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, says it will take years for affected areas to return to normal.

Reconstructing the city and returning civilians to their homes will be "extremely challenging", she has warned, costing an estimated $1bn (£760m).

Building damage, October 2016 to July 2017

Numbers based on UN satellite analysis

Before offensive

135 buildings damaged (50% public, 21% homes)

Before offensive

135 buildings damaged (50% public, 21% homes)

Before the offensive, many public buildings were damaged - including al-Ghazlani military camp, Mosul Airport and the city's university.

First five months of offensive

1,240 buildings damaged (47% homes)

Strategic targets, such as roads and factories, were hit during the first phase of the battle. All five bridges crossing the Tigris were hit. Just under half the damaged buildings were homes

After eight months

4,356 buildings damaged (70% homes)

In the three months from March to June this year, the number of buildings damaged nearly quadrupled - from 1,240 to 4,356. Seven in 10 of these were people’s homes.

The UN's initial satellite analysis suggests housing has been the most heavily hit, with at least 8,500 residential buildings severely damaged or completely destroyed, most of them in the Old City. This figure is sure to increase when comprehensive damage assessments are conducted on the ground.

About 130km of roads have also been damaged overall - 100km of those are in the west.

Coalition air strikes also destroyed all bridges linking the east and west of the city across the Tigris river, with the aim of limiting the jihadists' ability to resupply or reinforce their positions in the east.

The city’s airport, railway station and hospital buildings are also in ruins.

Iraqi officials estimate that nearly 80% of Mosul’s main medical hub has been destroyed. The area was the largest health facility in the Nineveh governorate, housing several hospitals, a medical school and laboratories.