Iraq postpones Mosul operations for civilian safe passages

YemenExtra

Y.A

The Iraqi military has temporarily came  to a halt operations around the densely populated areas around west Mosul’s Old City to permit safe passage for civilians.

“Currently, there is a delay, to open safe passageways for families and residents towards the safe areas and camps,” said Lieutenant Colonel Emad Khalas on Sunday.

Over the past few weeks, the battle against Daesh in the city has been mostly concentrated  around the neighborhood of the al-Nuri mosque where Daesh’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, declared  the forming of the group’s so-called caliphate in 2014.

According to government sources, at least 355,000 people have so far managed to escape  the city since operations to free  it from Daesh began, but some 400,000 still remain trapped by the terrorists, who are using them as human armors.

Earlier, a federal police source said that at least 13 civilians were killed by the terrorists while they were trying  to escape the city.

“Thirteen civilians were killed while trying to escape Tamouz region heading to Bab al-Sham, western Mosul,” said Colonel Khodeir Saleh.

Iraqi forces have been performed operations in the Old City area for a couple of  weeks, but they have faced tough resistance, and the progress has been slow.

Government forces  and volunteer Hashd al-Sha’abi forces push  Daesh militants from the eastern part of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, earlier this year. The fight has now moved to Mosul’s densely populated western districts.

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