A video from a fighter in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham details the chaos in Mosul after the jihadist insurgent group took control of the city earlier today.
The video, which was released on YouTube by an ISIS fighter who goes by the name of "Ibn al Azd," is captioned "The camera roams the streets of Mosul and the displaced return after its liberation//Islamic State [ISIS]."
In the short video, an ISIS fighter films from a vehicle as another ISIS fighter drives through the main roads of Mosul. The aftermath of the ISIS' rout of the Iraqi military is caught on film.
The video shows a number of police and armored military vehicles that are abandoned, burning, or torched. A checkpoint, once manned by policemen, is deserted. Several columns of smoke are seen rising in the background. Sporadic gunfire, presumably of the celebratory type, is also heard in the background.
The cameraman also records several vehicles and columns driven by masked ISIS fighters. Many of the vehicles are flying the ISIS' black flag of jihad. Additionally, masked fighters are seen roaming the streets.
While it is difficult to determine exactly how many ISIS fighters are seen in the short, 2:43 video, the number easily approaches 100 or more. Given that the ISIS has been reported to be in complete control of Mosul, this means hundreds of fighters organized to launch the assault.
The cameraman also claims that the video is documenting "the return of the displaced after al Maliki's bombardment of their houses."
"One of the citizens who wants to reach his family took a police car for himself," the cameraman says as his vehicle drives alongside a police pickup truck.
The ISIS took control of Mosul earlier today after five days of fighting with Iraqi forces. The ISIS attacked the city last week, but the military claimed it repelled the offensive and killed 105 ISIS fighters. Usamah al Nujayfi, the speaker of Iraq's Council of Representatives, said the Iraqi military and police abandoned the city and left weapons and ammunition behind while fleeing the ISIS offensive. [See LWJ report, ISIS takes control of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.]