Mosul was Iraq’s second largest city and the Great Mosque was where Islamic State (Isis) militants chose to declare their caliphate when they took the city in 2014.

An Iraqi-led coalition of security forces, Popular Mobilisation Forces fighters and peshmerga fighters are deployed in the Mosul offensive, which began in November 2016 to retake the city. So far, the operation has regained control of most of the east of the city, but the battle is still intense for the Isis stronghold of western Mosul.

Felipe Dana, a Brazilian photographer, has been with the Associated Press since 2009. His work has received a number of awards, including World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International and Latam, the Atlanta Photojournalism, and he was a contender for 2016 Guardian Photographer of the Year.

The destruction left behind as the frontline moves is shocking … many neighbourhoods are completely destroyed Felipe Dana

A boy rides his bike past destroyed cars and houses in a neighbourhood recently liberated by Iraqi security forces on the western side of the city



More than 750 civilians have been killed or wounded in the first month of fighting in the Iraqi offensive to retake western Mosul from Isis, frontline medics say, a number they expect to rise as Iraqi forces push into Mosul’s old city. Iraqi forces have increasingly turned to airstrikes and artillery in the heavily populated urban terrain, and impoverished residents running out of food are forced to flee their homes, making dangerous journeys across frontlines.

Iraqi civilians flee through a destroyed train station during fighting.



We asked Felipe about a typical day in Mosul. “There are no typical days. Every day is different … I focus a lot on the human side of the story, so many days I spend with families either fleeing, some trying to live in the middle of the war, some living in IDP [internally displaced people] camps,” he said.

A federal police sniper aims towards Isis positions at a frontline near the old city



“Other days we are embedded with Iraqi security forces, following the battle closer to the frontlines, but in any case it’s very difficult to work and everything can change within hours, depending on how the operation is going. Very often, the Iraqi security forces block access to journalists in checkpoints and you spend hours trying to get somewhere or never getting there at all then you have to look for other options and stories.”



An Iraqi federal policeman drives a humvee during fighting in western Mosul. Right: Another officer carries an injured boy through a destroyed train station

“The decisions about where to go and what to photograph depend on the day. If there is a strong advance and the frontline is moving, usually there is a lot going on around the conflict area and as the conflict intensifies, hundreds or thousands of people start to flee, civilians get injured, etc and of course there is the intense fighting.”



“If it is a somewhat calmer day, I try to look for other stories, usually of the residents struggling to survive. Some decide to stay, others flee, the situation on the ground in Mosul is horrible. Many neighbourhoods are completely destroyed. Thousands are still trying to flee but it’s also dangerous, others decide to stay and can only hope that their house won’t collapse.

Relatives next to the body of Suheyil Najn Abdullah after he was killed by a sniper while trying to flee fighting between Iraqi security forces and Isis



On danger: “You have to do risk assessment all the time, there is always some risk involved in this kind of assignment and sometimes it’s hard to predict exactly what will happen and where, but you should never push limits or be somewhere you are not in control.



Syrian children play outside their tents in the Kawergosk refugee camp in northern Iraq.



For the millions of Syrian refugees scattered across camps and illegal settlements in the region, the chemical attack on a town in northern Syria and subsequent US strike was a rare moment when the world briefly turned its attention to Syria, before turning away again.

“I’m only trying to show what is happening here … I think that most people who live in places where there is no conflict don’t really understand how difficult it is for most of the residents. Many families have nothing to do with the conflict and just want to survive. To me, it’s very important to show the reality on the ground, how families struggle and why so many choose to flee.”

A car bomb explodes next to Iraqi special forces armoured vehicles as they advance towards Isis-held territory in Mosul,



On the impact of photojournalism: “Maybe things are different and people will see the photos online or on social media instead of the paper, but if photos can make viewers reflect and debate, our work is still valid.”



Coalition forces reputedly outnumber the militants by as much as 10:1. This is thought to be the largest deployment of Iraqi troops since the Iraq war in 2003.

“The operation has been extremely slow in the past weeks … Iraqi security forces are surrounding the Old City, but they still face strong resistance from Isis. I think it may still take months for them to take over Mosul, but most importantly, it will take years for the west side of Mosul to be reconstructed. This part of the city is heavily damaged and entire neighbourhoods were destroyed.”

A displaced Iraqi girl, who fled fighting between Iraqi security forces and Isis militants, balances on a swing at the Hassan Sham camp



A woman holds her daughters as gunshots are heard in a neighbourhood recently liberated by Iraqi security forces in western Mosul in March. Right: A displaced injured man, fleeing from conflict, waits for an ambulance at a checkpoint near Qayara in November 2016



As the US-led coalition ramps up the fight against the Isis in Iraq and Syria, claims of civilian casualties caused by airstrikes have risen dramatically. The toll, both in infrastructure destroyed and lives lost, has the potential to undercut US military victories, stoking resentment and a backlash that could play into the hands of the militants.

“The most dramatic moments of the action will always appear more in the news, but to me the stories ‘in between’ are even more relevant. The frontline will move, and this fight may finish someday, but so many people have lost their lives, got injured or are traumatised by what they have seen or lived … for those living here, those ‘most dramatic’ peak moments may take a very long time to heal in their bodies or minds.”

Residents carry the bodies of several people killed during fights between Iraq security forces and Isis



“I think it’s hard to find moments that are not surreal. I can’t think of one particular moment, the overall experience for me makes you see the world in a different way. Very often you are in the middle of what you believe is an abandoned, completely destroyed area – you spend some time, people will start to appear from destroyed houses asking for food, water or a ride out. In recently retaken neighbourhoods you see hundreds of burned cars, barricades, bodies of Isis members laying everywhere.



Children play inside a damaged car in a neighbourhood recently retaken by Iraqi security forces



“Another day, I met a man and his daughter. He came to us and told us she was completely traumatised, she cannot sleep and is scared of all the noise of gunshots and bombs exploding nearby. Nearly all of the houses in their street are completely destroyed by airstrikes. I sat near her, she wouldn’t react to me or my camera and then a helicopter started shooting near us, she started to react with small shakes every time it fired.”

Displaced Iraqis, fleeing fighting between Iraqi security forces and Isis militants, wait for a security check before being transferred to a camp on the western side of Mosul



On the challenges facing photographers: “Regarding conflict coverage? I think it depends a lot on the way you work. Overall, photographers tend to expose themselves more to get the image, but very often reporters will face the same risks. It depends more on the individual, how one works.”

