Iraq plans west bank assault

Civilians living in west Mosul are at ‘extreme risk’

Three quarters of a million civilians living in west Mosul are at “extreme risk”, the United Nations warned Tuesday as Iraqi forces prepared for a push into the jihadist bastion, reports AFP.
A hundred days into a massive offensive to retake the Islamic State group’s last major stronghold in Iraq, federal forces and jihadists took up positions on either side of the Tigris River that divides Mosul.
The three months it took to reconquer Mosul’s east saw some tough fighting but even deadlier battles are expected on the city’s west bank, which is home to the narrow streets of the Old City and some of IS’s traditional redoubts. “We hope that everything is done to protect the hundreds of thousands of people who are across the river in the west,” the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande said in a statement.
“We know that they are at extreme risk and we fear for their lives.”
Iraqi forces have retaken all central neighbourhoods in east Mosul and on Tuesday were clearing Rashidiyah, which lies on the northern edge of the city and is the east bank’s last area still to be secured. Tens of thousands of other forces are deployed north, south and west of Mosul, meaning that the jihadists are trapped in the city where their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed his “caliphate” in 2014.
Residents of west Mosul and civil activists told AFP on Monday that IS fighters had forced civilians along the river front to leave their shops and homes.
“The group forced us to leave our homes... without allowing us to take our belongings,” a resident of Al-Maidan said. “It deployed gun positions and posted snipers on roofs and at windows.”
Facing them across the river are some of Iraq’s most seasoned elite forces, whose engineers some reports said were already working on assembling pontoon bridges for a cross-river assault. All bridges across the Tigris in Mosul were either bombed by IS or hit by airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition that has helped Iraq reclaim about two thirds of the territory it lost to IS in 2014.
“The Iraqi forces have over the course of their battle against Daesh (IS) in this country developed the capability to do bridging, including bridging while under fire,” coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said.
The UN had feared an exodus of unprecedented proportions before the Mosul offensive began on October 17 but while 180,000 people did flee their homes, the majority stayed. It now estimates that 750,000 people still live in Mosul’s west bank, either because they did not want to leave their homes or were prevented from doing so by IS, which has routinely used civilians as human shields in this conflict.
“We don’t know what will happen in western Mosul but we cannot rule out the possibility of siege-like conditions or a mass exodus,” Grande said in the statement. The Norwegian Refugee Council, which assists some of the displaced families, also said the lack of access to west Mosul was a source of great concern, given the humanitarian crisis that fighting in the east had already caused.
“Those still trapped inside Mosul city are in even graver danger due to the fighting and shortages and, 100 days since the fighting started, we still have no way to reach them,” it said in a statement.
While, Russia, Iran and Turkey, the sponsors of peace talks between Syrian rebels and Damascus, agreed Tuesday to establish a joint “mechanism” to monitor the frail truce in the war-torn country. The sides will “establish a trilateral mechanism to observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire, prevent any provocations and determine all modalities of the ceasefire,” according to a final statement read by Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov following the talks in Astana.
Rebel backer Turkey and regime allies Russia and Iran also support the presence of the armed opposition at political negotiations under UN auspices set to take place next month in Geneva, the statement said.
The rebel delegation said earlier that they would agree to have Russia serve as a guarantor of the current ceasefire but not Iran, another backer of President Bashar al-Assad.
A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey has been in place since late December but both rebels and Damascus have complained of repeated violations. The rebels backed out Monday of what could have been their first face-to-face talks with the Syrian regime since the conflict erupted in 2011.
They said they would not engage in direct negotiations with the regime because of its continued bombardment and attacks on a flashpoint outside the Syrian capital Damascus. The latest diplomatic push to end bloodshed in Syria comes one month after regime forces, aided by allies Russia and Iran, retook full control of Aleppo, dealing the rebels a heavy blow.
More than 310,000 people have been killed and more than half of the country’s population displaced since Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assad’s rule.

Iraq plans west bank assault

Civilians living in west Mosul are at extreme risk

Three quarters of a million civilians living in west Mosul are at extreme risk, the United Nations warned Tuesday as Iraqi forces prepared for a push into the jihadist bastion, reports AFP. A hundred days into a massive offensive to retake the Islamic State groups last major stronghold in Iraq, federal forces and jihadists took up positions on either side of the Tigris River that divides Mosul. The three months it took to reconquer Mosuls east saw some tough fighting but even deadlier battles are expected on the citys west bank, which is home to the narrow streets of the Old City and some of ISs traditional redoubts. We hope that everything is done to protect the hundreds of thousands of people who are across the river in the west, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande said in a statement. We know that they are at extreme risk and we fear for their lives. Iraqi forces have retaken all central neighbourhoods in east Mosul and on Tuesday were clearing Rashidiyah, which lies on the northern edge of the city and is the east banks last area still to be secured. Tens of thousands of other forces are deployed north, south and west of Mosul, meaning that the jihadists are trapped in the city where their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed his caliphate in 2014. Residents of west Mosul and civil activists told AFP on Monday that IS fighters had forced civilians along the river front to leave their shops and homes. The group forced us to leave our homes... without allowing us to take our belongings, a resident of Al-Maidan said. It deployed gun positions and posted snipers on roofs and at windows. Facing them across the river are some of Iraqs most seasoned elite forces, whose engineers some reports said were already working on assembling pontoon bridges for a cross-river assault. All bridges across the Tigris in Mosul were either bombed by IS or hit by airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition that has helped Iraq reclaim about two thirds of the territory it lost to IS in 2014. The Iraqi forces have over the course of their battle against Daesh (IS) in this country developed the capability to do bridging, including bridging while under fire, coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said. The UN had feared an exodus of unprecedented proportions before the Mosul offensive began on October 17 but while 180,000 people did flee their homes, the majority stayed. It now estimates that 750,000 people still live in Mosuls west bank, either because they did not want to leave their homes or were prevented from doing so by IS, which has routinely used civilians as human shields in this conflict. We dont know what will happen in western Mosul but we cannot rule out the possibility of siege-like conditions or a mass exodus, Grande said in the statement. The Norwegian Refugee Council, which assists some of the displaced families, also said the lack of access to west Mosul was a source of great concern, given the humanitarian crisis that fighting in the east had already caused. Those still trapped inside Mosul city are in even graver danger due to the fighting and shortages and, 100 days since the fighting started, we still have no way to reach them, it said in a statement. While, Russia, Iran and Turkey, the sponsors of peace talks between Syrian rebels and Damascus, agreed Tuesday to establish a joint mechanism to monitor the frail truce in the war-torn country. The sides will establish a trilateral mechanism to observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire, prevent any provocations and determine all modalities of the ceasefire, according to a final statement read by Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov following the talks in Astana. Rebel backer Turkey and regime allies Russia and Iran also support the presence of the armed opposition at political negotiations under UN auspices set to take place next month in Geneva, the statement said. The rebel delegation said earlier that they would agree to have Russia serve as a guarantor of the current ceasefire but not Iran, another backer of President Bashar al-Assad. A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey has been in place since late December but both rebels and Damascus have complained of repeated violations. The rebels backed out Monday of what could have been their first face-to-face talks with the Syrian regime since the conflict erupted in 2011. They said they would not engage in direct negotiations with the regime because of its continued bombardment and attacks on a flashpoint outside the Syrian capital Damascus. The latest diplomatic push to end bloodshed in Syria comes one month after regime forces, aided by allies Russia and Iran, retook full control of Aleppo, dealing the rebels a heavy blow. More than 310,000 people have been killed and more than half of the countrys population displaced since Syrias conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against Assads rule.