Iraqi forces retake district; IS chemical weapon attack reported

MOSUL, Iraq — Thousands of civilians fled Mosul overnight as Iraqi forces advanced north of a sprawling military base near the city’s airport on Friday.

Iraq’s special forces pushed into the Wadi Hajar district in western Mosul and retook the area from the Islamic State group Friday, according to Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, spokesman of the Joint Military Operations.

Special forces Brig. Gen. Haider al-Obeidi said clearing operations were ongoing in the area, and his forces were close to linking up with the militarized federal police forces pushing up along the western bank of the Tigris river.

Iraqi forces launched an attack on the western part of Mosul nearly two weeks ago. Since the offensive began, more than 28,000 people have been displaced, according to the United Nations.

Nahla Ahmed fled Mosul late Thursday night, walking more than three miles from her home.

“All the families were hiding behind a wall,” she said. “We gave the children valium so they wouldn’t cry and (the IS fighters) wouldn’t catch us.”

Ahmed, like most of the civilians who have escaped Mosul in the past week, fled through the Mamun neighborhood. The district is partially controlled by Iraq’s special forces.

Maj. Saif Ali said huge crowds of civilians began pouring into the area from neighboring districts just after midnight. Ali said civilians in western Mosul are becoming increasingly desperate as food and water begin to run out.

“In total 7,000 people fled through this area last night,” he said.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday, “The latest figures we have of people recorded leaving western Mosul is 28,400, and that’s since operations in west Mosul started on Feb. 19. However, we’re also tracking down reports thousands more people are on the move.”

He said that about 4,000 people a day have been fleeing since the start of the operation.

By late morning, nearly all the families had been moved out of Mamun.

Iraqi forces deployed east of Mamun advanced into Wadi Hajar, a neighborhood north of the Ghazlani military base.

The U.S.-led coalition dropped more than 15 munitions in Mosul on Friday, Ali said.

Brig. Gen. Wathaq al-Hamdani, Nineveh province’s police chief, said IS targeted the Al Jazair District in western Mosul with “Katyusha launchers with missiles carrying chlorine gas” in at least two separate incidents over the past few days.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement Friday that seven patients likely exposed to a toxic chemical agent were being treated at Rozhawa hospital, close to Mosul.