Mosul’s Old City under full security forces’ siege, IS denies civilians food
Al-Hadbaa (leaning) minaret in the Grand Nuri al-Kabir mosque in western Mosul.
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) The Islamic State-held Old City in Western Mosul has become under a full siege by Iraqi security forces, with the group denying food to hundreds of thousands of civilians, reports say.
Rudaw agency said Federal Police forces were surrounding the area from the south, Rapid Response forces from the east and the Counter-Terrorism Service from the west and north. It added that there were nearly 200 fighters remaining in that region.
A security source told Shafaaq news website that the group was denying civilians food at Old City’s Bab al-Jadid neighborhood after they had declined to help militants plant landmines targeting the advancing security forces.
Iraqi forces retook eastern Mosul from Islamic State members in January, and have been advancing through the western side since February. The ancient, narrowly structured and densely populated Old City is the group’s last refuge, and was the location where IS supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the establishment of its “caliphate”.
Iraqi commanders say they control at least 90 percent of territories in western Mosul, and predict to retake the city before the end of May. There are currently only two other districts under IS control besides the Old City.
The United Nations said in March there were at least 400.000 civilians stranded in the Old City in IS captivity. Iraqi officials and aid groups fear civilians are used as human shields. Dozens were executed by the group for attempting to flee areas under its control or collaborating with security troops, according to recurrent news reports.
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