Eastern Mosul slowly returning to normal, but scars from ISIL remain

World Today

In the western part of Mosul, Iraq bitter fighting continues between government forces and ISIL militants.

But in the east, recaptured nearly two months ago, some semblance of normal life is returning.

But questions remain about the future.

CGTN’s Tony Cheng filed this report.

Heavy military traffic, still on the streets of Eastern Mosul, but the city is slowly coming back to life.

Shops are re-opening and supplies getting through.

When work is still scarce, there is a basic normality that has returned after months of bitter fighting.

For those displaced by the fighting in at the West, however, that is a distant dream.

And while the race is on to the provide immediate relief, finding long-term solutions for Mosul will be important too.

The scars exposed by ISIL will be open long after they themselves are forced out of the city.

There are still very visible signs of ISIL’s occupation of East Mosul on this side of the river. People are back on the streets and life has returned to some level of normality, but just down the road across the Tigris river – you can see huge plumes of smoke and hear the sound of automatic gunfire. And the damage in the West is undoubtedly worse.


For more on Iraq’s history of conflict and leadership: