On July 10, 2017, after nine months of fighting, Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, was liberated from ISIS. The largest urban battle since the Second World War wrested the city of two million people from the Islamic State, which had symbolically proclaimed its caliphate there. But Mosul was left devastated.

What happened next? Who would rebuild Mosul? Who would restore its western bank, ravaged by the fighting? Who would reconstruct the cultural heritage destroyed by ISIS? And who would ensure security?

For a year, we followed Iraqis’ efforts to rebuild their city. Through the stories of key individuals, we documented the challenges facing the population, the Iraqi administration’s failure to act effectively, and, more broadly, the international community’s hesitations and lack of commitment.