Photos: The battle for Mosul, Iraq

Iraqis walk past an Islamic State sign in the newly liberated part of eastern Mosul on Jan. 17, 2017.

Traces of jets mark the sky above eastern Mosul during an ongoing military operation against the Islamic State on Jan. 17, 2017.

Members of the Iraqi special forces Counter Terrorism Service patrol in Mosul’s al-Jazair neighbourhood as they look for Islamic State fighters on Jan. 17, 2017.

An Iraqi special forces soldier from the medical unit carries an injured boy who was wounded by a mortar shell in al-Tahrir neighborhood in Mosul on Nov. 23, 2016.

A member of the Iraqi Christian forces Kataeb Babylon stands guard beneath a cross at the Mar Benham Syriac Catholic monastery in the town of Khidr Ilyas, southeast of Mosul, on Nov. 22, 2016.

Soldiers from the Iraqi Special Forces fly a small drone from a roof to look for Islamic State fighters hiding themselves in the Aden district of Mosul as they secure the area on Nov. 22, 2016.

Stars shine in the sky as flames and smoke rise from a burning oil well on Nov. 19, 2016, in the Iraqi town of Qayyarah.

Children play football as oil wells, set ablaze by retreating Islamic State jihadists, burn behind them in the town of Qayyarah on Nov. 20, 2016.

The sun cuts through the smoke as an Iraqi soldier walks into the center of a burning oil wells, set ablaze by retreating Islamic State jihadists, while guarding the men tasked with putting out the fire in the town of Qayyarah, some 43 miles south of Mosul, on Nov. 20, 2016.

In this Nov. 6, 2016, file photo, displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

The body of 19-year-old Berzan Ibrahim Khelil, who was killed by a mortar during fighting between the Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants is carried to a cemetery on a cart by his cousin in Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 17, 2016. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Oct. 25, 2016, file photo, a handcuffed suspected Islamic State militant sits outside his house as Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces fight against Islamic State militants, in the village of Tob Zawa, about 9 kilometers (5 1/2 miles) from Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Oct. 19, 2016, file photo, Iraqi army soldiers man a checkpoint as oil wells burn on the outskirts of Qayyarah, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 1, 2016, file photo, displaced people stand on the back of a truck at a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 8, 2016, file photo, Iraqis displaced by fighting in Mosul line up for food distribution at a camp for internally displaced people in Hassan Sham, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 2, 2016, file photo, a man kisses an Iraqi special forces soldier after his house was searched, in Gogjali, an eastern district of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 16, 2016, file photo, a car bomb explodes next to Iraqi special forces armored vehicles as they advance towards Islamic State held territory in Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Oct. 26, 2016, file photo, an Iraqi Federal Police vehicle passes through a checkpoint in Qayara, some 31 miles, 50 km, south of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 4, 2016, file photo, Iraqi special forces soldiers move in formation in an alley on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Oct. 19, 2016, file photo, Iraqi special forces advance towards the city of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 12, 2016, file photo, a Nineveh Plain Protection Units, or NPU, fighter checks items left in a shooting range used by Islamic State militants in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Qaraqosh, east of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Oct. 26, 2016, file photo, Iraqi army soldiers rest at a checkpoint in Qayara, some 50 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 4, 2016, file photo, displaced men queue to receive food after arriving in the Hassan Sham camp, east of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Oct. 24, 2016, file photo, Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces prepare to attack Islamic State positions as fighting to retake the extremist-held city of Mosul enters its second week, in the village of Tob Zawa, outside Mosul. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 9, 2016, file photo, firefighters work at the site of an oil well fire in Qayara, some 31 miles (50 km) south of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

In this Nov. 14, 2016, file photo, Iraqi army soldiers fire mortars against the Islamic State militants, at Shahrazad village 2 miles (3 kilometers) east of Mosul, Iraq. As the operation to retake Mosul enters its second month Iraqi forces are preparing for prolonged, grueling urban combat as they slow the tempo of their operation, advancing just a few hundred meters at a time. The individual tactics employed by IS mirror past fights with the group, but the sheer scale of IS defenses and counterattacks in Mosul has overwhelmed Iraq’s military.

Iraqi Special Forces 2nd division soldiers come under fire from Islamic State fighters while running across an intersection as they try to push forward in the Karkukli neighborhood of Mosul on Nov. 13, 2016.

An Iraqi Special Forces 2nd division soldier fires toward Islamic State fighters as comrades take up positions on the roof of a house in the Karkukli neighborhood of Mosul on Nov. 13, 2016.

A soldier from the Iraqi Special Forces 2nd division crouches as he takes up a position while his comrades take cover behind a wall on a rooftop as they come under fire from Islamic State in the Karkukli neighborhood of Mosul on Nov. 13, 2016.

Members of the Iraqi forces stand on their BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles as they hold a position in the village of Jarif, some 28 miles south of Mosul, on Nov. 12, 2016, after retaking it from Islamic State.

Members of the Iraqi forces stand on their BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles as they hold a position in the village of Jarif, some 28 miles south of Mosul, on Nov. 12, 2016, after retaking it from Islamic State.

Iraqi army soldiers fire an artillery round at Islamic State positions in Bartilla, about 9 miles east of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 7, 2016.

A soldier from the Iraqi army’s 9th armoured division aims his weapon as they move around the Al-Intissar neighborhood of Mosul on Nov. 7, 2016.

The sun rises as smoke billows after an airstrike on Islamic State positions in Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 7, 2016.

An Iraqi army soldier from the 9th armoured division cleans his machine gun with a brush in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighborhood of Mosul, on Nov. 6, 2016.

Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya), on Nov. 6, 2016.

A soldier from the Iraqi army’s 9th armoured division fires his heavy machine gun at a suspect car approaching their position in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighborhood of Mosul, on Nov. 6, 2016.

Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers fire artillery at Islamic State positions in Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 7, 2016.

Soldiers from the Iraqi army 9th armoured division greet residents as bodies of Islamic State fighters litter a street in the eastern Al-Intissar neighborhood of Mosul on Nov. 6, 2016.

An Iraqi army sniper from the 9th armoured division walks to take his position in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighborhood of Mosul, on Nov. 6, 2016.

Soldiers from the Iraqi army’s 9th armored division flash the V-sign as they walk along a street in the Al-Intissar neighborhood of Mosul on Nov. 7, 2016.

An Iraqi special forces soldier screams while being treated for injuries in Gogjali, on the eastern edges of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 6, 2016.

Iraqi army soldiers walk by the river near a bridge destroyed by an airstrike in Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 5, 2016.

Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi enter the village of Abu Shuwayhah, south of Mosul, on Nov. 1, 2016.

An Iraqi soldier takes position in the village of Gogjali, a few hundred yards from Mosul’s eastern edge, as clashes go on between Iraqi army forces and Islamic State on Nov. 2, 2016.

A woman waves to Iraq soldiers in the village of Gogjali, a few hundred yards from Mosul’s eastern edge, as clashes go on between Iraqi army forces and Islamic State on Nov. 2, 2016.

An Iraqi soldier holds a position in the village of Gogjali, a few hundred yards from Mosul’s eastern edge, as clashes go on between Iraqi army forces and Islamic State on Nov. 2, 2016.

An Iraqi soldier shakes hands with a boy as civilians take shelter inside a mosque in the village of Gogjali, a few hundred yards from Mosul’s eastern edge, on Nov. 2, 2016.

Iraqi soldiers pose with an Islamic State flag as they hold a position in the village of Gogjali, a few hundred yards from Mosul’s eastern edge, on Nov. 2, 2016.

A man rides his bike on a street as smoke rises from burning oil fields in Qayara, some 30 miles south of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 31, 2016.

An Iraqi boy who was displaced from the village of Abu Shuwayhah, south of the jihadist-held Mosul, walks carrying a white flag as locals return to their village following the arrival of Iraqi forces on Nov. 1, 2016.

Iraqi soldiers carry coffins of comrades from the Popular Mobilization Forces militia, who were killed in car bombing during operation to liberate Mosul, at the funeral procession in Najaf, Iraq, on Nov. 1, 2016.

Iraqi army soldiers guard the last government controlled checkpoint south of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 1, 2016.

Displaced people stand on the back of a truck at a checkpoint near Qayara south of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 1, 2016.

Iraqi soldiers warm themselves next to a fire near the Qayara air base,south of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 1, 2016.

An Iraqi army soldier rests on a mattress in the last government controlled checkpoint south of Mosul, Iraq, on Nov. 1, 2016.

Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi flash the sign of victory from the back of a truck as they drive toward the village of Umm Sijan, south of Mosul, on Oct. 31, 2016 during Iraqi forces’ operation to recapture the city from Islamic State.

Members of an Iraqi Shiite militia take up positions during a campaign against the Islamic State in the formerly IS-held town of Zarka, some 12 miles west of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 31, 2016.

Iraqi forces take up position near a road that leads to Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 31, 2016.

Smoke rises from burning oil fields damaged during the fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State fighters in Qayara, some 31 miles south of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 31, 2016.

An Iraqi special forces soldier smokes a cigarette in the village of Bazwaya, some 5 miles from the center of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 31, 2016.

Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi prepare missiles to hit Islamic State positions as they head to the village of Umm Sijan, south of Mosul, on Oct. 31, 2016.

TOPSHOT - Members of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) drive near the village of Bazwaya, on the eastern edges of Mosul, tightening the noose on Mosul as the offensive to retake the Islamic State group stronghold entered its third week on October 31, 2016. An Iraqi colonel said CTS had recaptured Bazwaya, one of two IS-held villages that had been standing between Iraqi forces and the eastern edges of Mosul. / AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILICBULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **  (BULENT KILIC / AFP/Getty Images)

Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi advance toward the village of Salmani, south of Mosul, on Oct. 30, 2016 during the ongoing battle against Islamic State to liberate the city of Mosul.

Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi launch missiles on the village of Salmani, south of Mosul, on Oct. 30, 2016, during the ongoing battle against Islamic State to liberate the city of Mosul.

Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi rest during their advance toward the village of Salmani, south of Mosul, on Oct. 30, 2016, during the battle against Islamic State to liberate the city of Mosul.

Shiite fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi advance toward the village of Salmani, south of Mosul, on Oct. 30, 2016, during the ongoing battle against Islamic State to liberate the city of Mosul.

An Iraqi army soldier fires his rifle in the town of Shura, some 18 miles south of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 29, 2016.

An Iraqi Federal Police officer watches as air and ground strikes hit the town of Shura, some 18 miles south of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 29, 2016.

A member of Iraqi armed forces kisses a local boy after Iraqi forces entered the town of Shura, some 18 miles south of Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 29, 2016.

Iraqi families displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces to retake the city of Mosul are seen between Makhmour and Qayyarah as they flee Oct. 29, 2016.

An Iraqi woman and children collect wood and metal at a site that was targeted by an airstrike in Qayyarah south of Mosul on Oct. 29, 2016.

A Shiite militia member patrols in the village of Ayn Nasir, south of Mosul, on Oct. 29, 2016, after recapturing it from Islamic State group jihadists.

Iraqi forces and Shiite militia members drive an armored vehicle in the advance towards the village of Ayn Nasir, south of Mosul, on Oct. 29, 2016.

A Shiite fighter flashes a “‘V’ for victory” sign in the village of Ayn Nasir, south of Mosul, on Oct. 29, 2016, after recapturing it from Islamic State group jihadists.

Iraqi forces and Shiite militia members advance towards the village of Ayn Nasir, south of Mosul, on Oct. 29, 2016.

An Iraqi forces tank deploys towards the village of Ayn Nasir, south of Mosul, on Oct. 29, 2016.

Soldiers give first aid to a boy injured during clashes between Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces and Islamic State militiants in the village of Tob Zawa, about 5 1/2 miles from Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 25, 2016.

Iraqi families, who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering near Qayyarah on Oct. 24, 2016.

An Iraqi man reacts as families, who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State, wait for food near Qayyarah on Oct. 24, 2016.

Iraqi families, displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces to retake the city of Mosul from Islamic State, receive food near Qayyarah on Oct. 24, 2016.

Destruction is seen Oct. 24, 2016, in the Christian Iraqi town of Bartella, about 10 miles east of Mosul, after Iraqi forces retook control of the town from jihadists of the Islamic State group.

A member of the Iraqi forces holds a position at the al-Shura area south of Mosul on Oct. 24, 2016, during an operation to retake the city from Islamic State.

An Iraqi child looks on as families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against Islamic State to retake the city of Mosul gather near Qayyarah on Oct. 24, 2016.

Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces advance toward Islamic State positions as fighting to retake the extremist-held city of Mosul enters its second week in the village of Tob Zawa on Oct. 24, 2016.

Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces prepare to attack Islamic State positions as fighting to retake the extremist-held city of Mosul enters its second week in the village of Tob Zawa on Oct. 24, 2016.

Iraqi government forces raise their national flag as they enter the village of al-Khuwayn, south of Mosul, after recapturing it from Islamic State on Oct. 23, 2016.

A member of the Iraqi government forces smokes a cigarette as he rests in the village of al-Khuwayn, south of Mosul, after recapturing it from Islamic State on Oct. 23, 2016.

Iraqi forces fire artillery shells towards the nearby village of Zalhafa from their position on the outskirts of the village of al-Khuwayn, south of Mosul, after recapturing it from Islamic State on Oct. 23, 2016.

An Iraqi forces member wears a gas mask as smoke billows in the background after Islamic State jihadists torched the Mishraq sulphur factory near the Qayyarah base, about 19 miles south of Mosul, during an operation to retake the main city from IS on Oct. 22, 2016.

Shiite fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces arrive in an area south of Mosul on Oct. 22, 2016, during an operation to retake the city from Islamic State.

Arabic that reads “Property belonging to Islamic State” is written on a house of a Christian man in the town of Bartella, Iraq, on Oct. 22, 2016.

A displaced Iraqi woman carries a child as they arrive at a refugee camp on Oct. 22, 2016, in the town of Qayyarah, south of Mosul.

An Iraqi forces member helps a displaced man push a car as they arrive at refugee camp on Oct. 22, 2016, in the town of Qayyarah, south of Mosul.