Iraqi army forces pause Mosul operation for civilian protection

Iraqi government forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units, have ceased their joint operations to flush Takfiri Daesh militants out of their last urban stronghold in the conflict-ridden country over the high rate of civilian casualties.

“The recent high death toll among civilians inside the Old City forced us to halt operations to review our plans. It's a time for weighing new offensive plans and tactics. No combat operations are to go on,” an unnamed spokesman of the Iraqi federal police force said on Saturday.

The spokesman added, “We need to make sure that taking out Daesh from the Old City will not cost unwanted high casualties among civilians. We need surgical accurate operations to target terrorists without causing collateral damage among residents.”

The remarks came as an army statement published in the official al-Sabaah (The Morning) daily newspaper read that future operations in the embattled western Mosul would be launched by ground troops trained to fight street battles.

“Our heroic forces are committed to the rules of engagement, which ensure protection of civilians,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration says more than 200,000 people have fled their homes ever since Iraqi army troops and Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters launched the battle to recapture densely populated neighborhoods in western Mosul from Daesh extremists.

The ministry announced in a statement that 201,275 civilians had experienced forced displacement.

Aid agencies say as many as 600,000 civilians remain trapped in the western half of Mosul.

There are reports that terrified parents fleeing fighting between Iraqi forces and Daesh in the western side of Mosul drug their children with sedatives or tape their mouths to avoid discovery as they try to escape.

Separately, members of the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group have reportedly executed more than 30 people in western Mosul as the militants continue to suffer losses in their battles against Iraqi army soldiers and allied forces.

SS