Families flee as US battles ISIS
Terrified parents rushed though the streets of Mosul, Iraq, clutching their children this weekend as US-backed government forces waged a desperate battle to push the Islamic State from the war-torn city.
A man without shoes was seen screaming for help as he held up his pants with one hand and held his crying toddler with the other, according to photos from the scene.
Men in the besieged city had been ordered to pull down their trousers in the middle of the road by US soldiers with Operation Inherent Resolve, who were hunting for anyone carrying hidden weapons.
Other photos taken Saturday showed a couple fleeing the carnage with six young children.
While the father clutched a younger child with one arm and a sack of food with the other, his eldest boy — who appeared to be about 11 — carried a toddler.
Col. John L Dorrian, spokesman for the American-led coalition operation against ISIS, told Sky News that Iraqi forces were “imposing their will on the enemy” in the city.
“They’re not going to be pushed out of Mosul — they’re going to surrender or they’re going to be killed there,” he vowed about the battle, which began on Oct. 16.
More than 45,000 people have been displaced since the current push to take over the city’s west side began last week.
Several thousand people have been killed or wounded so far, both civilians and military, according to aid organizations.
As the battle rages, the Hamam al-Alil refugee camp is approaching maximum capacity and is asking for help, according to the BBC.
A statement released Sunday by the military coalition said units were “very close” to taking over government buildings in the old city.
It added that units had captured the Danadan district, southeast of the city, while UStrained counter-terrorism service units thrust through the Tal al-Ruman and Somood districts, in the southwest.
Also on Sunday, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced it was “seriously concerned” about reports of chemicalweapons use in Mosul.
The alleged attack occurred last week in eastern Mosul, an area declared liberated by Iraqi forces in January.