UN reports 400 000 Iraqis trapped in Mosul

GENEVA: An estimated 400 000 Iraqis are besieged in the Islamic State (IS) controlled old city of west Mosul amid food shortages and growing panic under shelling, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said yesterday.

Many civilians fear fleeing because of IS snipers, but some 157 000 have reached a transit centre since the Iraqi government offensive on west Mosul began a month ago, it said. “The worst is yet to come, if I can put it this way. Because 400 000 people trapped in the old city in that situation of panic and penury may inevitably lead to the cork popping somewhere, sometime, presenting us with a fresh outflow of large-scale proportions,” Bruno Geddo, UNHCR representative in Iraq told a Geneva news briefing.

Meanwhile, aid convoys linked to paramilitary groups have begun making regular deliveries to Mosul districts recaptured from IS, bringing much-needed relief, but also fears that their Shia backers are encroaching on the city. Local leaders say it could be the first sign of Shia parties trying to extend their influence as the battle against the jihadists winds up. Reuters