Iraqi families flee as forces launch operation to cut Mosul off from Syria
29 Oct 2016 10:39 AM
In one village south of Mosul, Iraqi forces found the bodies of 70 residents who had been gunned down.
The Islamic State group is using tens of thousands of people as human shields in and around Mosul while the Iraqi forces are waging a large-scale offensive aimed at retaking the country's second-largest city, the UN human rights office said.
That means huddling indoors, often with no electricity or running water, as explosions and gunfire echo outside. Those living near the front lines are often out of reach of aid groups. (Photo: AFP)- Both the Iraqi government and Kurdish authorities are mired in an economic crisis brought on by low oil prices and say they do not have the resources to care for such a large number of displaced people. So they have urged everyone to stay put. (Photo: AP)
- Camps have been set up to accommodate 60,000 people, but about 200,000 are expected to be displaced in the first weeks of the offensive, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. (Photo: AP)
- More than 5,600 people have already fled areas near Mosul, according to the International Organization for Migration, with most heading through IS-run territory toward the Syrian border, rather than in the direction of the advancing troops, who are converging from the north, east and south. (Photo: AP)
- Witnesses described scenes of chaos over the past week as hundreds of people were ordered out of their homes without having time to pack and driven north across the Ninevah plains toward the heavily-fortified city, where IS has been preparing for a climactic showdown.(Photo: AP)
- Mosul, the largest city controlled by the Islamic State group, is still home to more than 1 million civilians. The government and international aid groups fear that a sudden mass exodus will overwhelm the few camps set up on its outskirts. (Photo: AP)
- The US military, which is providing airstrikes and ground support for the operation, said it tried to disrupt the forced displacement of civilians south of Mosul earlier this week by striking militant vehicles being used in the forced push. (Photo: AFP)
- The UN office said civilians from across the region south of Mosul were being herded into Hamam al-Alil, a militant-held town where the population has more than doubled to 60,000 since the forced displacement began. (Photo: AFP)
The Islamic State group is using tens of thousands of people as human shields in and around Mosul while the Iraqi forces are waging a large-scale offensive aimed at retaking the country\'s second-largest city, the UN human rights office said.
In one village south of Mosul, Iraqi forces found the bodies of 70 residents who had been gunned down.
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