Iraq storms Mosul Old City held by IS

ABOUT 100,000 CIVILIANS REMAIN TRAPPED, WITH LITTLE FOOD, WATER AND MEDICINE AND LIMITED ACCESS TO HOSPITALS, ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS.

Iraqi forces began storming the Islamic State-held Old City of Mosul on Sunday, an assault they hope to be the last in the nine-month old campaign to seize the militants’ stronghold.

The historic district is the last still under control of the militants in the city which used to be their capital in Iraq. It is a densely-populated maze of narrow alleyways where fighting is often conducted house by house.

About 100,000 civilians remain trapped there in harrowing conditions, with little food, water and medicine and limited access to hospitals, according to the United Nations.

“This will be a terrifying time for around 100,000 people still trapped in Mosul’s Old City ... now at risk of getting caught up in the fierce street fighting to come,” the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said in a statement.

“This is the final chapter” in the offensive to take Mosul, said Lt Gen Abdul Ghani al-Assadi, commander of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) elite units spearheading the assault.

A US-led international coalition is providing air and ground support to the campaign.

The Iraqi government initially hoped to take Mosul by the end of 2016, but the campaign took longer as militants dug in the middle of civilians to fight back. REUTERS