More than 200 citizens, medical workers killed in western Mosul bombardment
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
Sahfaaq news website said three medical workers died at Mosul Public Hospital in Wadi Hajar region when mortar rounds targeted the facility’s first aid ward. Iraqi commanders said they recaptured the area earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Kurdish network Rudaw said 230 people died when three civilian-owned homes sustained an aerial bombardment in Mosul al-Jadida district, another area retaken by Iraqi forces. Victims were mostly women and children, according to the agency.
Rudaw did not specify the source of the bombardment, but Iraqi forces, the allied U.S.-led coalition and Islamic State members have occasionally shared the blame for civilian deaths during exchanged bombardments in Mosul since security operations to retake the city from IS launched in October 2016.
The Federal Police command said Wednesday that IS militants have increasingly targeted areas security troops recaptured in western Mosul, which hindered relief efforts.
Rudaw quoted military sources saying troops received overnight pleas for help from civilians stranded under the debris of three houses. A Nineveh official was quoted earlier Thursday saying 120 dead bodies were waiting for extraction in Mosul al-Jadida district.