text: This is an extremely difficult scenario for the US and coalition forces to deal with. It is the equivalent of a mass-scale hostage situation. The ISIS forces need to be forced out without killing thousands of civilians but how? You need well-trained ground forces to methodically go through. Air strikes can never be "surgical" in Mosul with ISIS mixing themselves together with civilians. Tragically, civilian casualties will happen no matter what. This needs to be a primarily Iraqi army operation to avoid political blow-back for the West.