Crossing the river a major challenge in devastated Mosul It used to take Ahmad Meyssar just a few minutes to reach his university across a bridge over the river Tigris in Iraq's Mosul. But now -- with whole districts still devastated some five months after the Islamic State group was forced out -- the journey takes him over two hours as most of the vital links between the two halves of the city remain in ruins. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES