Iraqi forces deploy snipers to hunt down IS militants in western Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi security forces started to deploy snipers on rooftops of buildings in western Mosul, in order to hunt down the Islamic State members, who are using civilians as human shields.

Spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, Colonel Yahia Rasoul, said in a press statement that the Islamic State militants started to use civilians in western Mosul as human shields, and we are trying to shoot them by deploying snipers.

The army forces are advancing carefully to keep civilians safe, Rasoul explained. We are relying on light and medium weight weapons and tools, including sniping, to target the Islamic State members away from civilians, he further added.

Rasoul also accused the terrorist group of killing civilians, using booby-trapped containers, where its members gather civilians and force them to stay at specific houses, then detonate the nearby containers.

Furthermore, Rasoul pointed out that the Islamic State is using this method to delude the public that Iraqi forces are targeting innocent civilians.

Meanwhile, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) declared that nearly 400 thousand Iraqis are still besieged in western Mosul.