Iraqi special forces team brings legacy of American training to fight in Mosul

An Iraqi special forces soldier rides in a Humvee with a Shiite religious banner flying behind while moving through recently captured territory on the eastern front in the fight for Mosul on Oct. 28, 2016.

An Iraqi special forces soldier rides in a Humvee with a Shiite religious banner flying behind while moving through recently captured territory on the eastern front in the fight for Mosul on Oct. 28, 2016.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Oct. 28, 2016 12:53 PM PT

The Golden Division of Iraqi special forces is led by Lt. Col. Ali Hussein Fadil, a modern Muslim warrior whose training was shaped by the U.S. invasion in 2003.

Iraqi's Mosul advance

Lt. Col. Ali Hussein Fadil, center, commands an Iraqi special forces unit in the fight to retake the city of Mosul, including 28-year-old Waleed Abdel Nabi, left.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Iraqi's Mosul advance

An Iraqi government Humvee window cracked by Islamic State fire on the eastern front in fight for Mosul.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Iraqi's Mosul advance

Waleed Abdel Nabi, 28, clears what appear to be abandoned homes in the advance toward Mosul.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Iraqi's Mosul advance

An Islamic State tunnel entrance found in Bartella by Iraqi special forces.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Iraqi's Mosul advance

Waleed Abdel Nabi, a father of four, moves through the town of Bartella by Humvee.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Modern Iraqi warriors

A barricaded door where Islamic State fighters had made a nest.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Iraqi's Mosul advance

Waleed Abdel Nabi, right, and a fellow Iraqi special force fighter in the town of Bartella.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Iraqi's Mosul advance

The remains of a burned car.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Iraqi's Mosul advance

Iraqi forces patrol in a Humvee east of Mosul as they wait for the next phase of the battle to retake the city from Islamic State.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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