US-backed siege batters Old City of Mosul By Bill Van Auken 19 June 2017 Backed by US airstrikes, artillery and special forces “advisors,” Iraqi troops began storming Mosul’s crowded Old City, where the United Nations estimates that some 150,000 civilians are trapped under the siege. Iraqi commanders have issued triumphalist statements hailing the offensive … Continue reading US-backed siege batters Old City of Mosul