Unidentified airstrike leaves 50 civilians under debris in Old Mosul: Activist
Aftermath of an airstrike by U.S.-led coalition jets in Mosul.
“Urgent calls were made by besieged residents in the Old City that 50 civilians were under debris of an old house in an al-Borsa (stock market) region,” Mohamed Hussein al-Hayali, an activist based in western Mosul, told Anadolu Agency.
“The house collapsed after a nearby location was targeted by an airstrike,” Hayali added without identifying the jets that carried out the strikes.
Those besieged under the debris, according to Hayali, included women and children.”We do not rule out that there could be victims due to the high explosion, as we were notified, amid absence of efforts to save them.”
Mosul battles are covered by the international coalition led by the U.S. and the Iraqi fighter jets.
In related news, Iraqi troops arrested an Islamic State militant after swimming along with group of civilians crossing Tigris River.
Cap. Haidar Ali al-Waeli, of the Iraqi army, said group of civilians were able to cross Tigris River swimming near Sheikh Mohamed village.
“Once they were assisted to get out of the water, one of them indicated that an Islamic State militant accompanied them,” he said adding that the member was arrested.
On Tuesday, Iraqi troops reported progress and announced recapturing of al-Zanjili district, located north of the Old City, which is home to the Grand Nuri al-Kabeer mosque, from which IS Supreme Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared establishing caliphate in 2014.