August 2016, we are in Kalar,
in northern Iraq. The rear base of the offensive on Mosul. - Go count the ammo
with that, it makes 26. These men are the soldiers
of the Iraqi army, the ninth brigade of the armored division. Their mission of the day, to supply weapons and
food for the troops at the outposts, at the heart of the fighting. This black smoke in the distance
these are the oil wells, that the Islamic State organization burns
to hide from the American air force. For more than 2 years, this city
is controlled by jihadists. This is the last big obstacle before Mosul. So the fights are tough and the
soldiers face strong resistance. A few seconds of calm,
just enough time to get out of the vehicle. So to finish
to unload the cargo, a group of soldiers opens
fire to cover the others. The fighting has lasted for 2 days. From this roof, the army officers
Iraqi commands operations, - Now, otherwise, I'll come with
my troops and I will take care of them. General Nadjim Al-jubouri is in
permanent contact with the Americans. - We work with an American team. We give them the positions of the targets, and they attack them with
fighter planes or drones. I think it's the last
time for them. When air attacks
begin, the end is approaching. After its rout of 2014, the army
Iraqi woman tries to rebuild herself for the greatest of his battles,
and Kiara marks the start of the offensive. Mosul, the country's second city,
but since June 2014, the capital of the Islamic State group in Iraq. Quite a symbol. Jihadists are Sunnis, they had been welcomed
by local populations, as natural protectors against
the predominantly Shiite regime in Baghdad. But after 2 years under the yoke
Islamist, the city of Mosul is suffocating. So the noose tightens in the north
is, the peshmerga to the Kurdish army, with Sirwan Barzani, one of the leaders. It depends on Kurdistan which
already benefits from a large degree of autonomy. In the south, the Iraqi army, one of which
commanders is General Najim Al-jubouri, is under the control of Baghdad, 2 historical enemies, allies of circumstance
to eradicate the Islamic State organization, all with the support of Westerners. Kyara has just been released. The fighting is over
and as a provocation, music can again
resonate in the city. While some rest, others
erase the vestiges of terror. Tranquility seems to settle in, when all of a sudden... - In the House ! In the House !
Over here, hurry up! Quickly ! A car just ran into us. She hit this black vehicle before
to continue its course further. The soldiers forbid us from filming
and asked us to leave the premises. In the middle of this group of men, a corpse. An Iraqi army soldier
was killed by a jihadist. We discover a second
vehicle and a puddle of blood. - What's going on ?
It's a car bomb! It's total confusion. 2 Daesh men returned to the
city with a car full of explosives. -If we had stayed there, we would have died. They are going to be shot by the army. We will not always have
not allowed to film. But we get
a video of the vehicle bomb. This is what a car looks like
Islamic State suicide bomber. At the back, around ten cans
explosives connected to a remote control. These were not triggered,
but the damage could have been enormous. Too few to
face the Iraqi army, terrorists resort
daily to s**** attacks. - These are suicide bombers who were killed.
They are Daesh fighters. The general is used to
to these scenes of horror. Already in 2003 he participated in the fight
against Al-Qaeda alongside the Americans. - Are there snipers?
- No it's OK. Today, he and his 5,000
men recovered the city. So on the edges of
Tiger, the legendary river, the general can finally hope. - It's been my dream ever since
still arriving at Tigris. This river means life to me. My people, since history
very ancient, live near this river. This river gave us life. The Tiger will take her to Mosul, but the general knows well
that to liberate the city, he will have to count on all Iraqis.
And for that, a challenge awaits him. He must reconcile Shiites and Sunnis. In the areas liberated by
his army, life is gradually returning. Civilians are relieved
after 2 years of horror. But the general will have to do
display of great skill. The populations he comes from
to free are Sunnis, and its army is very largely Shiite. - You are the strongest,
show me your strength. If everything goes well in front of the cameras,
relations between Shiites and Sunnis, are very tense in reality,
and not just with Sunnis. She's not the only one
complexity of this battle, because the Kurds count
take their full part in it. They also fight against
the Islamic State organization, a hundred kilometers to the north. The Mosul operation is a big
first in Iraqi history. Kurds and Arabs are side by side
side by side against the same enemy. Today, thousands
Kurdish fighters will storm
11 villages around Mosul. They are called the peshmerga,
those who face death in Kurdish language. - And long live the peshmerga! Every meter occupied by Daesh,
we're going to free him. A Kurdish battalion enters
in the first village. - Be careful, he's behind the barrier. - Don't all stay in the same place. - The way is clear, we can go. Nobody knows how many fighters
the Islamic State organization are opposite, nor even the means at their disposal. There are two people hiding
on the roof there, there are 2 of them. The fighting will last 2 days. In this village, around ten
Kurdish fighters will lose their lives. About twenty others
will be seriously injured. Meter after meter, the peshmerga
take back the 11 villages, and immediately dig trenches
to protect themselves from the enemy. The men of Daesh have
retreated to other villages, a few hundred meters further. - Daesh takes position there and
are targeting us with their snipers. We are therefore obliged to shave and
destroy everything that comes between us. The days of the State organization
Islam in Iraq seem to be counted. Night falls on the news
front line, and a somewhat special convoy
crosses the landscape. It is that of Sirwan Barzani in the center,
an emblematic leader of the peshmerga. After the victory of his men,
he's only here for half an hour, And respond to journalists, the opportunity
to send a strong message to the Iraqis. - If there is only the Iraqi army without
the peshmerga nor the Shiite militias, then it will be complicated. They're not ready yet
to retake Mosul. Sirwan Barzani is one of the people
the most influential in the country. Besides being a warlord
at the head of 170,000 men, he is a rich businessman. Telecoms magnate, he weighs
several hundred million euros. A few days later,
we make an appointment with him, in his villa in the north-east of Iraq. - Yes, if you agree
regarding, there is no problem. We are in the Barzan region,
named after the Barzani family. Generations of revolutionaries who
fought for the independence of Kurdistan. Today, the millionaire
visits his grandfather's grave. - We, the Barzani family, have
started the revolution 120 years ago. We never gave up,
we survived. Thank God we now have
our semi-autonomous region, and we hope to quickly see our
independent country with our flag. Sirwan Barzani has every interest
to wage war against Daesh. By eradicating terrorists,
he extends his territory, and gains credibility in the eyes
of the international community. And the leader sees the big picture. He built a museum
to the glory of Kurdistan. The shape of the swimming pool,
it is the form of Kurdistan. And the 3 buildings you see there,
these are the 3 parts of Kurdistan, who looks at the flag of independence. 2 days after the battle, Barzani's men prepare
for new fights. We are in the
recently liberated areas, and the peshmerga did
curious discoveries. In this mountain, men
of the Islamic State organization, dug kilometers of tunnels. - We can go out this way,
and another one there too. A maze of corridors crosses
the mountain on either side. He allowed the Daesh guys to hide
during coalition bombing. - It's their business. These are their pots,
their plates, the teapot. They hid here like rats. Tunnels like this, Daesh has built them in all
the surrounding villages. They also left fields
mines as far as the eye can see. The jihadists have truffled
of explosives each ground. Serbaste and deminer for 20 years,
he leads around ten soldiers, to clean the area
and there is no shortage of work. - These are the mines that we
removed in 2 days. We were able to clear all that,
without having the slightest accident. In 48 hours, Serbaste and his men
removed more than 80 mines, or one and a half mines per hour. On average, a deminer does not remove
no more than 1 mine or 2 per day. The work is risky, but time is of the essence. - That's the detonator.
If I press it, the mine explodes, and it will kill everyone around us. The jihadists are changing
permanent development of mines. So the difficulty is to adapt. These are made with
agricultural fertilizers and dyes, and due to lack of time, the content
of the mine is emptied onto the ground. Only the detonators will be kept. In the distance, these rare lights
sparkling in the night, are proof that Mosul survives. Last night, the peshmerga were warned
the arrival of several families, who have just fled the Forbidden City. Exhausted, they arrive later
several hours of walking, over the few kilometers traveled,
they had to avoid mines. At every moment, members of Daesh
could have caught them, executed them. The soldiers are suspicious. The Kurds fear that a suicide bomber
infiltrates among the refugees, and hides an explosive belt. Ahmed is a taxi driver. He and his 5-year-old daughter have just fled, they had to leave part
of their family behind them. - At first they came
in the name of religion, it was okay. Then afterwards, they
gave orders like: “Say your prayers, let your beard grow.” People who are still
in Mosul are tired. Their situation has deteriorated,
there is no more work. People are exasperated
by the presence of Daesh. They are fed up with. It makes
They have been sequestered for 2 years. Nearly a million people
are still trapped in Mosul. There is almost no food left there, and the city became
an open-air prison. So, we must flee, flee at all costs. The Battle of Mosul
likely to last for weeks. Residents expose themselves
to be caught between two fires. The fights will send on the roads
hundreds of thousands of people. An exodus synonymous with a crisis
unprecedented humanitarian response.
