A large
number of bodies, many of them women and children, are still buried
under the rubble in Mosul after the months-long operation to retake
the city. RT’s Murad Gazdiev saw the gruesome aftermath of the
battle declared a major success by the US-led coalition.
Multiple
corpses of suspected Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants
– but also civilians – are still lying under the rubble in the
sweltering August heat.
Rescuers are
working to retrieve corpses buried under collapsed houses, with many
buildings literally reduced to ashes – possibly in the aftermath of
bombings or artillery strikes. Parts of Mosul that were once
residential areas are now ruins.
While the
scenes of devastated streets still leave a grim impression, there is
another harrowing feature that cannot be seen on television – the
sickly odor of decomposing bodies, Gazdiev said.
“You’ve
probably heard of thousands killed, the civilian suffering,” he
says, standing among the Mosul ruins. “What you likely haven’t
heard of is the smell. It’s nauseating, repulsive, and it’s
everywhere – the smell of rotting bodies.”
As the RT
team walks through the Old City, the camera captures the picture of
destruction in what was once Iraq’s second-largest city. Burnt-out
vehicles littered along the roadside, damaged walls and empty windows
depict the heavy price that civilians paid for the Iraqi and US-led
coalition’s Mosul victory.
“Under
the rubble there are hundreds and hundreds of corpses – jihadists
as well as civilians and families,” Gazdiev reported. Two women
and two children have been pulled out just this morning, he said,
adding that there’s no end in sight for those whose work is to
recover the bodies.
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