The area was supposed to have been cleared of ISIS days ago. The Gogjali district just on the Mosul city line is the main gateway into the fight against the terror group and was the first to be cleared.
(FOX)- We saw first-hand more anti-ISIS efforts by Iraqi forces. Open-back trucks came to the staging area transporting civilians fleeing the fight. Iraqi troops helped women and children down to get them ready for another bus ride to a nearby refugee camp.
There have been several incidents reported of ISIS fighters trying to mix in with the refugee flow to escape capture. Fox News was told this pretty sophisticated system has nabbed several ISIS members.
But the men, especially fighting-age men, were separated out, sat on the ground and their identification cards taken to be checked against an Iraqi government militant database.
(FoxNews.com photo)
As for the residents of the Gogjali area who are trying to stick it out, life is not easy. The neighborhood is pretty much devastated and locals rush to get any supplies brought in. “We need water,” one man demanded. Another was carrying medicine brought in by a relief agency.