Snipers play cat and mouse in battle for Mosul

A word on snipers...
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Through the scope of al-Moqdadi al-Saeedi's sniper rifle, Mosul's ruined skyline came into sharp focus, but the Islamic State marksmen he was looking for were nowhere to be seen.

It was just hours since Iraqi forces announced they had raised their flag over the Mosul governorate building on Tuesday following a daring night raid – part of their push to dislodge Islamic State from the city's western half.

But later that day, Islamic State snipers were still active in the area, harassing government troops.

On the top floor of a building nearby, Iraqi snipers were in position, surrounded by spent bullet casings and foam mattresses as they waited for their enemy to show itself.

"Just like we're hiding from them, they're hiding from us," said Saeedi, commander of a sniper unit that is part of the Iraqi Rapid Response division.

As an outnumbered and out gunned Islamic State mount a fierce defense of their last stronghold in Iraq, snipers have been one of their most effective weapons. At times they can pin down advancing Iraqi forces for days.