In The Field

As Iraqi forces, Kurdish fighters and Shia militias close in on the Islamic State (Isis) stronghold of Mosul, civilians fleeing the city have told of the increasingly desperate tactics used by the jihadi army to hold their ground as coalition air strikes and artillery rain down on the outskirts. In the first instalment of IBTimesUK's podcast - IN THE FIELD - we speak to journalist Campbell MacDiarmid, who has reported on the conflict since it began. Drawing on his experience on the front lines over the past three weeks, he describes the difficulties the Iraqi coalition faces in its campaign to rid Iraq of IS after two-and-a-half years of their bloody occupation of Mosul. In our second interview, we speak to Razaw Salihy, Iraq campaigner for Amnesty International, about the human toll of the conflict. Salihy has been visiting refugee camps just outside Mosul and hearing stories of life under IS-rule as well as the dangerous conditions for civilians. Both Campbell and Razaw also discuss the difficulties... &