- Title: Hundreds of people flee Mosul, some injured
- Date: 2nd March 2017
- Summary: MEDICS TREATING BLEEDING HEAD OF WOUNDED CHILD MEDICS CLEANING BLOOD FROM FACE OF WOUNDED WOMAN SECURITY FORCES HELPING WOUNDED MAN GET INTO AMBULANCE WOUNDED MEN WITH ONE WITH FACE BANDAGED SITTING IN AMBULANCE / SECURITY FORCES HOLDING BLANKET TO COVER THEM
- Embargoed: 16th March 2017 11:56
- Keywords: Iraq Mosul displaced persons refugees
- Location: SOUTHWEST MOSUL, IRAQ
- City: SOUTHWEST MOSUL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA002669O2MF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Hundreds of people streamed out of southern Mosul on Thursday (March 2), the majority on foot, some saying they were fired at by the militants when they crossed a defensive trench.
An old woman was being pushed in a cart usually used for selling fruits in the street and civilians greeted Iraqi forces saying "peace be upon you" in Arabic.
Members of a family wounded by a mortar, some still bleeding, were treated at at a Counter-terrorism Services (CTS) clinic, run in cooperation with foreign medics.
Medics cleaned their wounds, fed them and covered them in blankets to protect them from the cold.
Hundreds of women and children gathered in the open air at an abandoned bus station to collect basic food items from the army and a local charity while men underwent security screening to make sure they are not Islamic State members.
Abu Mohammed, a man displaced from al-Maamoun spoke of his journey from Wadi al-Hajar.
"We were displaced to Tal al-Rumman where we stayed for two days until we had the opportunity to flee to al-Maamoun district under the cover of the army's fire and thanks to God we made it," he said.
CTS Brigadier General Salman Hashim said that 850 people had arrived so far that day, most from Tal al-Rumman and al-Maamoun districts.
"Most of the displaced people who arrived here suffer from bad living conditions or have medical problems and most of them are in need of medical treatment therefore, I call the main headquarters to send me ambulances and specialised medical teams to treat them here," he said.
More than 28,000 civilians have been forced from their homes in western Mosul since the Feb. 19 offensive began, while the total number displaced since the battle for Mosul started in October exceeds 176,000, according to the United Nations. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None