Residents of eastern Mosul have started to clean up their city after two and a half years of rule by Islamic State militants and the battle that dislodged them.
Students are painting over the extremists’ murals and men are filling in bomb craters and clearing away the rubble of the nearly three-month-long battle that left Iraqi forces in control of half the city.
Mahmood Shaker, Mosul University student:
“Today we started the project of cleaning the city of Mosul, the liberated left (eastern) side of the city. We launched the project on social media, including Facebook and Instagram.”
Shops are also reopening.
Iraqi forces have already started redeploying their forces in preparation for the battle to take the western side of the city as well, which is expected to start in the coming weeks.
Mosul is the last urban stronghold of IS.
