In October 2016, the military offensive to retake the city from the hands of The Islamic State group began. After almost three years under the control of the IS, Mosul, once the country’s second largest city, had lost most of its population as people fled people fled the control of IS, and the awful living conditions in the city.
The offensive lasted nine months; every street and house was visited and
secured. As time went on, the front line shifted. With thousands of Iraqis wounded or killed and more than a million displaced, this urban battle remains one of the deadliest since the Second World War. At the height of the battle to retake the city, MSF teams were working in a health post close to the front lines. Since then, life has resumed, but the health system has been slow to rebuild and MSF continues to support several facilities, including the maternity and paediatrics hospital in Nablus, on the outskirts of the city. The number of births per month is reaching record figures. Giving birth through safe deliveries is one of the priorities of the teams, as the risk of maternal mortality in childbirth remains very high.