Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Baghdad

Iraqi command finds no proof of airstrikes behind Mosul civilian deaths

 Iraqi command finds no proof of airstrikes behind Mosul civilian deaths

Smoke rises from clashes during a battle between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in the city of Mosul, Iraq, March 16, 2017. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

An Iraqi soldier looks out of the window of a house destroyed by an Islamic State (Reuters)
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi command leading battles against the Islamic State in Mosul has accused the militant group of causing civilian deaths at a site where the U.S.-led coalition admitted involvement in the calamity.

The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, which reports on operations by the Joint Operations Command, said in a statement that field inspections by military commanders, as well as citizens account, found no evidence to airstrikes at al-Resala district in western Mosul, where the coalition admitted Saturday causing at least 100 civilian deaths while targeting IS fighters on March 17th.

The statement said that while coalition fighter jets bombarded the neighborhood upon a request from the Iraqi command, an expert team found no sign of holes proving it had sustained an airstrike.

The team of inspectors were touring a home where media outlets said dozens of dead bodies were extracted.

“…accurate information from citizens showed that Daesh (IS) gangs lock up families in booby-trapped homes and oblige them to stay there, using those houses for (positioning) snipers and suicide fighters, and explode them once our troops advance,” the statement said. “That house was booby-trapped completely…..an exploded vehicle was found nearby and 61 bodies were extracted. Speaking to eyewitnesses from the area, they said Daesh booby-trapped houses and forced families to go down to basements, and used the house to shoot fire from at security forces.”

On Saturday, the U.S. military admitted civilian casualties in coalition airstrikes on the area, and said it was going to launch an initial investigation. The Iraqi command had recently accused IS of fabricating reports about civilian deaths in a more recent strike last Thursday in Mosul al-Jadida district.

Iraqi government forces, backed by coalition fighter jets and ground advisers, recaptured eastern Mosul from IS in January, and launched a new offensive in February to retake the west.

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