Trapped by war, Mosul residents bury their dead wherever they can

Record ID: 164399

  • Title: Trapped by war, Mosul residents bury their dead wherever they can
  • Date: 16th January 2017
  • Summary: AL-QADISIYA AL-THANIYA DISTRICT, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ (JANUARY 13, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DAMAGED BUILDING IN THE AREA EXTERIOR OF COLLAPSED SECTION OF WALL AT FIELD EXTERIOR OF DOOR VARIOUS EXTERIOR OF SCHOOL SIGN READS (Arabic): "ZAHRA MADAEN SCHOOL FOR BOYS" VARIOUS OF GRAVESTONES IN SCHOOLYARD PEOPLE WALKING PEOPLE LOOKING AT GRAVES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT ALAA MOSTAFA SAYING: "Civilians are buried here. After being liberated, Daesh (eds note: refers to Islamic State) targeted this area. Any civilian living in locations outside their rule is deemed as an apostate. So Daesh snipers would target civilians as they walked down the streets, resulting in deaths. There are no cemeteries, we can't go to the cemeteries, so we had to bury people in this school. Not all the people are from this area, there are people from the Masaref or Sukkar districts, we brought them here and buried them. Their families couldn't take them so we buried them." VARIOUS OF GRAVESTONES / MOUND OF SAND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RESIDENT YASER ABED SAYING: "After they (eds note: refers to Islamic State) left, we were deemed as apostates. So it became OK for them (eds note: refers to Islamic State) to kill us, they released a 'fatwa' that said kill them (newly liberated civilians) and enslave their women. Mortars started falling on us, so we started carrying the dead bodies and burying them here. There is no way to get to the cemeteries, we could not get them to the cemeteries." GRAVESTONE READS (Arabic): "THE MARTYR MOHAMMED DIYA YOUNIS ASHQAR, DATE: 13-12-2016" STREET / HOUSE GOGJALI, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ (JANUARY 13, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CEMETERY
  • Embargoed: 30th January 2017 10:15
  • Keywords: Mosul cementery burial schoolyards relatives civilians
  • Location: AL-QADISIYA AL-THANIYA DISTRICT AND GOGJALI, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ
  • City: AL-QADISIYA AL-THANIYA DISTRICT AND GOGJALI, EASTERN MOSUL, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015ZBYGQV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Residents living in the newly liberated areas of Mosul remain in danger of being targeted by the retreating Islamic State militants, even as Iraqi forces advance across much of the eastern side of the city.
    For civilians wishing to bury the dead but are unable to reach the city's main cemeteries, the fighting has forced some to dig informal graves wherever they can, at least until the fighting moves further from their doorsteps.
    In the yard of a local elementary school in the al-Qadisiya al-Thaniya district are eight long mounds of dirt where residents have buried friends and relatives killed in areas after they were recaptured from Islamic State.
    Among the dead is an elderly resident who had a heart attack and could not reach the hospital because of the fighting.
    Others were killed by sniper or mortar attacks on the region, which Islamic State deemed as apostate after it was retaken by the army.
    "Civilians are buried here. After being liberated (by the army), Daesh (Islamic State) targeted this area. Any civilian living in locations outside their rule is deemed as an apostate. So Daesh snipers would target civilians as they walked down the streets, resulting in deaths. There are no cemeteries, we can't go to the cemeteries, so we had to bury people in this school," said resident Alaa Mostafa.
    Meanwhile Gogjali cemetery, which lies 5km (3 miles) away from al-Qadisiya al-Thaniya district, is shown to be empty of mourners.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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