- Title: Thousands flee Mosul neighbourhoods amid anti-IS operation
- Date: 4th January 2017
- Summary: NEAR BARTELLA, IRAQ (JANUARY 3, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF IRAQI DISPLACED PEOPLE WALKING TOWARDS ARMY RECENTLY DISPLACED PEOPLE GATHERED VARIOUS OF SECURITY FORCES CALLING OUT NAMES AFTER SECURITY CHECKS WOMEN AND CHILDREN WAITING TO BE TRANSPORTED (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MEMBER OF THE IRAQI ARMY, BRIGADIER JABBAR HASSOUN, SAYING: "Due to the advances made by our armed forces over the past few days, we were able to secure safe passageways for the civilians. Thank God, the numbers of those who fled has increased, yesterday there were around 3,000 people who fled and today it was around the same number." VARIOUS OF DISPLACED MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WAITING TO BE TRANSPORTED (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) WOMAN WHO FLED THE SOMAR NEIGHBOURHOOD OF MOSUL, UM AHMED, SAYING: "We fled from the Somar neighbourhood, there were air strikes taking place and mortars falling. We barely made it out. We came through Shwal and arrived here." VARIOUS OF DISPLACED PEOPLE WAITING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED MAN, SALEM, SAYING: "People were escaping from Daesh (Islamic State) shelling, they would target homes, burn cars, they made people starve, there was no food, nothing. They checked your beard, all this from Daesh." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF TRUCKS THAT WILL TRANSPORT THEM TO CAMPS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE BOARDING TRUCKS
- Embargoed: 19th January 2017 08:43
- Keywords: Iraq Mosul Bartella displaced Quds Intisar Soma counter-terrorism forces Islamic State
- Location: NEAR BARTELLA, IRAQ
- City: NEAR BARTELLA, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA0015XNZTQF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Thousands of residents fled from eastern Mosul neighbourhoods Quds, Intisar and Somar on Tuesday (January 3), as the second phase of the army offensive against Islamic State militants continues.
"Yesterday there were around 3,000 people who fled and today it was around the same number," said Brigadier Jabbar Hassoun, a member of the army.
One woman, Um Ahmed, said she had fled from Somar district.
"There were air strikes taking place and mortars falling. We barely made it out," Ahmed said.
Since the offensive to capture Mosul began 10 weeks ago, counter-terrorism forces have retaken a quarter of the city. But their advance has been slow and troops on other fronts have made little progress.
More than 114,000 civilians have been displaced from Mosul so far, according to the United Nations, but 1.5 million are still thought to be inside. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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