ISIS' reign of terror has left a permanent stain on Mosul

What was once the capital state has now been reduced to tiny number of buildings and snipers picking off the remaining number of ISIS who are mortally wounded and refused to turn themselves in.

Massacred by Militants. Starved to death. Poor health and malnutrition, especially in children. Killed while trying to escape.

These were common scenes experienced by Mosul's residents under nearly three years of ISIS rule. But Sunday, Iraqi forces declared the city free from the grip of ISIS and its regime of terror.

And yet, skepticism remained with star TV reporting that ISIS militants were still holding out in one neighborhood of the city.

While the Iraqi-led coalition is expected to eventually defeat ISIS in the region, the suffering that the terror group has inflicted on Mosul's resident has left a lasting scar on the city and its people.

The city residents have suffered three years in ISIS captivity and rule

Mosul remains a desperate place -- with a palpable fear of an ISIS resurgence at the forefront of many minds.