The little girl had been hiding under her dead mother's burka for two days.

Among a pile of dead women, children and men scattered against a retaining wall where they had been shot by Islamic State (IS) militants, American volunteer medic David Eubank spied her moving.

When the Iraqi army arrived to liberate the Zanajil neighbourhoods in Mosul from IS on June 1, civilians had been held hostage by the militant group since it overran the city in June 2014.

Under fire from IS, Mr Eubank made a beeline towards the little girl to try to save her life.

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A former US Army special forces officer and ranger with the humanitarian volunteer group the Free Burma Rangers, Mr Eubank volunteers to free civilians in conflict areas.

He started the group in response to conflict in Myanmar, but it soon expanded and his teams now operate in other conflict zones, including Sudan and Iraq.

Working under a motto of love, freedom, justice and peace, Mr Eubank gave up his comfortable existence in Texas on a mission to travel to provide medical care, shelter and food in the most dangerous places in the world.

In November 2016, that mission took him to Mosul, a city on the forefront of the final push to oust IS militants.

Under heavy ISIS fire, Mr Eubank managed to grab a young girl and bring her back to safety. ( Supplied: David Eubank )

'If I died today … my wife and kids will understand'

A defining moment for Mr Eubank was when he spotted the young girl buried in bodies and rubble.

He had been called in to help survivors after IS opened fire on civilians fleeing for their lives.

"[I saw] a young woman, old lady, old man in a wheelchair, shot dead. His son trying to push behind him, shot dead. Newborn baby, shot dead, a bullet in her head," he said.

"I looked and I thought man, there are people alive in the pile of dead bodies."

Under the cover of smoke, Mr Eubank and his team crept in to the IS firing line, running up to the retaining wall behind an Iraqi army tank.

"I looked and I thought man, if I cross this open area, I am dead. But there is no other way to help this kid. I just thought, Jesus help me," Mr Eubank said.

"Right as I began to run, I thought if I die today trying to save this kid, my wife and kids will understand I don't want to die, but there is no other way."

Under heavy fire, he managed to grab the young girl and bring her back to safety.

'It is terrifying. It is scary'

For Mr Eubank, his work volunteering in conflict zones comes with a heavy emotional cost.

"The biggest toll it takes on me is tears and sadness, because almost every day I think about the people we couldn't save," he said.

"I don't run out of energy going there because I feel this is one thing we can do. I think oppression and murder is wrong and I want to stand against it. I love the Iraqi people."

Once in a safe area with the young girl, Mr Eubank called his wife, who along with their daughters Suhale and Suzanne, joins him on his dangerous missions.

Mr Eubank's work volunteering in conflict zones comes with a heavy emotional cost. ( Supplied: David Eubank )

"We checked [the girl] out. Medically she was fine. She was dehydrated so we fed her lots of water, and then she just fell asleep in my wife's arms," he said.

The little girl lost her whole family and did not speak for weeks.

In the days that followed that rescue, Mr Eubank saved several more people wounded by IS fire, hiding in the rubble or in the shadow of IS-held buildings.

Now back in the US, he plans on returning to Iraq or possibly Syria in the coming months, where the offensive is underway to liberate the IS capital of Raqqa.

He admits his work is dangerous and scary, but he said as long as he is able and there are people in need, he will continue to return to conflict zones.

"It is terrifying. It is scary. But I think in life all we can do is our best."