Iraqi troops take IS by surprise in Mosul attack

SBS World News Radio: The Iraqi army recaptures two districts in western Mosul from IS as dozens of civilians taken as human shields are released.

Iraqi troops take IS by surprise in Mosul attack

Iraqi troops take IS by surprise in Mosul attack

Tired and frightened, but free.

Thousands of families with bags of possessions have successfully fled western Mosul as Iraqi forces try to take back the city from I-S, or ISIS.

Men are undergoing security checks to prevent I-S militants from slipping into government-held areas.

Families then board buses waiting to take them to camps for internally displaced people.

The head of Oxfam's emergency team in Iraq, Tom Robinson, says it is a desperate situation.

His team is currently helping 4,000 people coming out of south-western Mosul, half of them children.

"So we're focusing on emergency support at the moment, which is basically bottled water, blankets, heaters, the kind of basic provisions that families require if they come out of Mosul. So very, very sort of first-time response at the moment. Obviously, they've lived under ISIS for two-and-a-half years -- the city itself has been surrounded. They're living in very, very impoverished conditions. There's a complete lack of services within Mosul."

Many people are being treated for trauma after having to flee through battlelines.

One displaced man from Mosul, Ahmed Hussein, says his family has not eaten in days under I-S control.

"They have destroyed us in the week since the Iraqi forces started their advance. There is no water, no food, no bread, nothing. We are free -- our families are over there ahead of us, and we are here. (But) look at this woman, she's done. Look at her, she's done. Blood pressure is up, sugar is down. What can I say? We got out of the land of infidels. Truthfully, it's the land of infidels."

Several dozen civilians forced by I-S fighters to leave villages south of Mosul and walk alongside them as they retreated towards the city have also been released.

Army, police and the elite Counter Terrorism Service forces are charging into western Mosul, with air and artillery support from the United States-led coalition.

US advisers are operating close to the front lines to direct air strikes.

The Iraqi military says it has overcome a number of suicide car bombs to take control of the two most recent neighbourhoods.

Rapid Response Unit officer Colonel Falah Al-Wazan says the military again took I-S, also known as Daesh,

"We entered al-Josaq district, which is considered the first line of defence for the city, and, after full liberation, you will see tunnels and trenches and earth banks built by the enemy in the area. Our forces were able to enter al-Josaq district at 0400 hours on foot and took the enemy by surprise. Some 40 to 50 Daesh members were killed in this district."

Several thousand militants, including many who travelled from Western countries to join I-S, are believed to be holed up in the city with nowhere to retreat.

There are fears that could lead to a fierce standoff with 750,000 residents still trapped in their homes.

Iraqi troops captured eastern Mosul in January and began the offensive on the western side a week ago, retaking districts west of the Tigris River.

The area around Mosul is the last I-S stronghold in Iraq.

 

 

 


Share
3 min read
Published 27 February 2017 3:00pm
Updated 27 February 2017 6:12pm
By Kirsty Johansen

Share this with family and friends