UN alerts 750,000 west Mosul civilians in danger as anti-ISIS offensive nears

The United Nations alerted on Tuesday that close to 750,000 civilians in west Mosul are seriously in danger as the next stage of the Iraqi offensive against Islamic State gets closer.

The UN humanitarian aid coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande, warned of the danger that civilians faced from getting caught in cross-fire, becoming victims of mines or being used as human shields by the Jihadists.

"We don't know what will happen in western Mosul but we cannot rule out the possibility of siege-like conditions or a mass exodus," a UN statement said. "To date, nearly half of all the casualties from Mosul are civilians," the UN Iraq note issued in Baghdad said.

However, the text published Tuesday, undersigned by the heads of 20 humanitarian NGO's operating in Iraq, acknowledged the Iraqi army's adoption of "humanitarian" tactics to protect the civilian population.
 EFE
24/1/17
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