KEILAR: U.S. troops this weekend are very close to the front in the intense battle to push ISIS out of the Iraqi City of Mosul. Americans are helping Iraqi forces target ISIS fighters in western Mosul. But officials are worried about the hundreds of thousands of civilians living there. The battle may soon be all around them. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Iraq this weekend.</s>BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brianna, we're hearing from residents inside the city that ISIS is beginning to round up families to use them as human shields. We're also hearing from residents that ISIS fighters are starting to consolidate in west Mosul's old city, perhaps to make a final stand. Now, as Iraqi forces are pushing into the city, they are getting critical assistance on the frontlines from the Americans.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We go ahead and bring up the smoke for</s>WEDEMAN: American soldiers, they decline to share their names, are setting coordinates for ISIS positions, just a little over a mile away from the extremists. They never fired their sniper rifle but used it to identify targets. Nearby, they assembled a drone. Pentagon officials say U.S. service personnel are operating ever closer to the action. The bombardment of western Mosul is intense and steady. Iraqis flying Russian-made Mi-35 attack helicopters blasted ISIS targets inside the city. Rapid response forced Major</s>WEDEMAN: And this battle couldn't end soon enough for the hundreds of thousands of civilians still inside the city. They're in dire conditions. We are learning that the markets are now almost empty of food. That heating fuel is going for $40 a gallon, and that people are drinking water out of wells and the river. Brianna?</s>KEILAR: Ben Wedeman, thank you so much. And coming up, police say it was a toxic nerve agent that took out Kim Jong-un's half-brother. The now a bigger question, who supply this internationally banned weapon of mass destruction?
U.S. Soldiers Help Iraqi Troops Near Front Lines