This is what Angelina Jolie had to say about war-torn Mosul

On Saturday, American actress and UNHRC Special Envoy, Angelina Jolie, visited West Mosul, less than a year after battles against the so-called Islamic State (Daesh) in Iraq came to an end.

According to a UNHCR statement, the visit marked Jolie's 61st mission with the refugee organization since 2001. It also marked her 5th visit to Iraq.

During her visit, Jolie toured the Old City and walked among the rubble left behind from bombed and destroyed buildings. She also met displaced families to "discuss efforts to rebuild the city and the needs of a returning population," according to UNHCR.

West Mosul was held captive by the so-called Islamic State (Daesh) for three years. In July 2017, the battle officially came to an end, days after Iraqi troops recaptured the city's iconic 850-year-old Grand al-Nuri Mosque, which was destroyed in the process.

Speaking in front of the ruins of al-Nuri Mosque, Jolie described the tragic scenery as being "the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR." 

"People here have lost everything: their homes are destroyed. They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services," she said.

"They are still surrounded by bodies in the rubble. After the unimaginable trauma of the occupation, they are now trying to rebuild their homes, often with little or no assistance," she added.

In June 2017, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared that the so-called caliphate of Daesh had fallen after the Iraqi military took back control of Mosul's Grand al-Nuri Mosque. 

The site was significant as the terrorist organization's leader declared his caliphate from the location. However, Daesh fighters still controlled pockets of the city until they were officially defeated one month later.

Jolie explained that despite their losses, people of Mosul are hopeful. But, they "need our assistance" to persist. 

"I have no words for the strength it must take to rebuild after loss like this. But that is what the people of this city are doing. They are grief-stricken and traumatized, but they are also hopeful. They are clearing their homes with their own hands, and volunteering and helping each other. But they need our assistance," she said. 

An estimated 90 percent of West Mosul was destroyed or significantly damaged during the ongoing battles. Since its liberation, the government has done little to reconstruct Iraq's second largest city. 

According to the NY Post, Baghdad estimates $100 billion is needed to rebuild the entire nation. However, local leaders in Mosul claim this amount to be needed to fix their own city ... alone.

"We often tend to assume, as an international community, that when the fighting is over, the work is done. But the conditions I observed here in West Mosul are appalling. Displacement is still happening. The camps near the city are still full," Jolie added. 

In the wake of the defeat in Mosul, Christian and Muslim families - who had fled persecution - slowly began returning to their homes. 

This included the inhabitants of Mosul's Al Arabi neighborhood, where hundreds of buildings, including the town's Mar Georges monastery, were destroyed under the terrorist group's occupation.

However, "whole areas of West Mosul remain flattened. Enabling people to return and stabilizing the city is essential for the future stability of Iraq and the region," Jolie said.

"I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilizing the whole of the city. And I call on the international community not to forget Mosul, and not to turn their attention away from its people. We have learned in Iraq before and elsewhere in the region the dangers of leaving a void. It is also what the families and survivors deserve."