Iraqi refugees return to ISIS held Mosul

As many as 500,000 Iraqis escaped Mosul when the Iraqi army fled and the city fell, but now tens of thousands have decided to return, reports Ruth Sherlock

Thousands of refugees have begun returning to Mosul, saying they were no longer afraid of the Sunni militants who have overrun their city.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on Friday declared they would impose Shariah law in Mosul, which they captured on Tuesday, and other areas they seized.

The militant group aims to create an Islamic emirate spanning both sides of the Iraq-Syria border.

The fast-moving rebellion, which also draws support from former Saddam-era figures and other disaffected Sunnis, has emerged as the biggest threat to Iraq's stability since the US withdrawal at the end of 2011.

It has pushed the nation closer to a precipice that could partition it into Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish zones.