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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The remains of a burned car.

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.