The Daily Presents “Caliphate,” Chapter 7

Mosul stands on the brink of liberation from ISIS in July 2017, marking a pivotal moment in the multi-year battle to reclaim Iraq’s second-largest city. The city’s descent into extremist control began following the 2003 U.S. invasion, as power vacuums and sectarian grievances allowed insurgent cells to flourish. Under ISIS rule, residents experienced a paradoxical reality: while public services like garbage collection and electricity were arguably improved, the population lived under a regime of extreme psychological and physical terror. ISIS utilized public executions, including beheadings and drownings, as a calculated strategy of intimidation and religious justification to solidify control. As coalition forces close in, the impending victory remains bittersweet for locals, who face the reality of a city left in ruins, raising complex questions about the true cost of liberation and the future of a devastated urban landscape.