U.N.: 435.000 Iraqis displaced since start of western Mosul operations

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) U.S.-backed Iraqi offensives against the Islamic State militants in western Mosul have displaced 435.000 civilians since their launch in February, the United Nations said early Tuesday.

“From Iraq, almost 435,000 people have now been displaced from western Mosul since the start of the military operations on the western part of the city in late February,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson of the U..N. Secretary General.

“Over 403,000 are currently displaced from western Mosul city, while some 31,000 people have been able to return to retaken parts of the city,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, people who remain in Da’esh-controlled parts of west Mosul are facing serious shortages of almost all commodities, as commercial supplies to these areas have been cut since last November, it added.

“Some cases of acute malnutrition are now being seen in infants arriving with their families from western Mosul,” according to Dujarric. “Families who remain in the retaken parts of west Mosul and those who have returned to these areas also rely on humanitarian assistance, as basic public services and market activity have yet to be restored”.

Iraqi government forces, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition, took over eastern Mosul in January after three months of fighting. The total of people displaced since October had been estimated by at at least 600.000.