Hundreds of residents flee eastern Mosul neighbourhoods in Iraq

Record ID: 163646

  • Title: Hundreds of residents flee eastern Mosul neighbourhoods in Iraq
  • Date: 9th January 2017
  • Summary: ZUHOOR NEIGHBOURHOOD, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ (JANUARY 8, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COUNTER-TERRORISM SERVICE (CTS) SOLDIERS IN THE BACK OF AN ARMY VEHICLE DRIVING PAST SOLDIERS AND ARMOURED VEHICLES / AUDIO OF EXPLOSION VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CARRYING THEIR POSSESSIONS AS THEY LEAVE THE AREA YOUNG BOY CARRYING CHILD ON HIS SHOULDERS/PEOPLE WALKING CARRYING BELONGINGS VARIOUS OF CTS HUMVEES DRIVING THROUGH THE AREA VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING VARIOUS OF CHILDREN SITTING IN A CART BEING PUSHED DOWN ROAD FAMILY CARRYING THEIR BELONGINGS AND WALKING / BOY CARRYING WHITE FLAG VARIOUS OF A WOMAN AND BAGS PUSHED IN A CART MORE OF THE WOMAN BEING PUSHED ALONG IN A CART PEOPLE PUSHING THEIR BELONGINGS IN A CART AS THEY WALK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT FLEEING THE MUTHANNA NEIGHBOURHOOD, MOHAMMED (NO SURNAME GIVEN), SAYING: "The mortars fell on our homes today, so we decided to leave. The mortars fired by Islamic State. We have been trapped in our homes for ten days, we could not leave, we could not even step out our door." FAMILIES LEAVING AREA / BOY CARRYING WHITE FLAG
  • Embargoed: 24th January 2017 08:24
  • Keywords: Mosul residents fleeing Islamic State militants Iraq
  • Location: ZUHOOR NEIGHBOURHOOD, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ
  • City: ZUHOOR NEIGHBOURHOOD, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015YCZC5J
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Hundreds of residents fled eastern Mosul neighbourhoods on Sunday (January 8), as the Iraqi army continued with the second phase of an offensive against Islamic State militants.
    Men, women and children left the recently recaptured Zuhoor and Muthanna neighbourhoods.
    "The mortars were falling on our homes today, so we decided to leave. The mortars fired by Islamic State. We have been trapped in our homes for ten days, we could not leave, we could not even step out our door," Mohammed, a resident from the Muthanna neighbourhood, said, adding they were able to leave once the army recaptured the area.
    Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) has spearheaded advances inside Mosul as part of a 100,000-strong force backed by U.S. air power of Iraqi troops, Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite militias fighting the militants. After a period of stuttering advances in Mosul last month, Iraqi forces have gained momentum in a new push since around the start of the year.
    CTS forces clashed with Islamic State fighters near a historic site in eastern Mosul, a senior commander has said, in a bid to drive them out of more neighbourhoods.
    Security forces have retaken about a quarter of Mosul since October but, against expectations and despite severe shortages of food and water, most residents have stayed put until recently.
    More than 125,000 people have been displaced out of a population of roughly 1.5 million, but the numbers have increased by nearly 50 percent to 2,300 daily from 1,600 over the last few days, the U.N. refugee agency has said.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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