Thousands of Civilians Remain Trapped Inside IS-held Areas Under Inhuman Conditions


SOFIA
Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians are still trapped in the few left pockets controlled by the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Mosul's Old City, living under inhuman conditions.

Fred Cussigh, head of the UNHCR's office in Erbil, said on Saturday that the humanitarian crisis in western Mosul is significantly way worse than the one faced in eastern Mosul. According to Cussigh, the malnutrition rate in west Mosul was twice as high than for the one in the east parts of the city.

The military operation against the IS militants in the city of Mosul, forced more than 900,000 civilians to flee the area since its start. However, despite the announced defeat of the extremist group, more than 50,000 people remain trapped inside the several IS-held pockets left in the Old City of Mosul.

The Iraqi government said earlier this week, the forces are days away from completely liberating the wester part of Mosul.

Currently the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) units are putting all efforts into recapturing the several districts left under IS-control, without causing any civilian casualties, as the IS militants use them as human shields.







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