On Tuesday, the American network CNN released footage from inside the city of Mosul, which was secretly recorded from inside a car. It gave a rare glimpse into what is now effectively a ghost town ahead of what is expected to be a bloody battle.

The video was taken by a resistance group called the Mosul Brigades. As advancing Iraqi security forces close in on the eastern edges of the city, the video shows several desolate streets; few cars, few people. It begins in areas near the University of Mosul and then shows some blast walls and a few of the black flags of ISIL.