Thousands flee militants’ bastion ahead of attacks
BADOUSH, Iraq — Thousands of Iraqis have fled an Islamic State-held town west of Mosul as Iraqi and coalition warplanes step up strikes ahead of a ground offensive to drive out the militants.
Tal Afar and the surrounding area is one of the last pockets of Islamic State-held territory in Iraq after victory was declared in July in Mosul, the country’s second-largest city. The town, about 93 miles east of the Syrian border, sits along a major road that was once a key Islamic State supply route.
On Monday, hundreds of exhausted civilians were brought by Iraqi army trucks from the front line to a humanitarian collection point just west of Mosul. Many described a harrowing journey of a day or more from Tal Afar, with no food or water.
Jassem Aziz Tabo, an elderly man who arrived with his 12member family, said he had left Tal Afar months ago and gone to a village on the outskirts to escape hunger, air strikes and violence from the militants.
“Those who tried to escape were captured and shot in the head. They killed my son,” he said. “He tried to escape, he was caught and they killed him.”
He said severe shortages have caused the price of food to skyrocket in Tal Afar, which has been besieged by Iraqi forces for months, with 2.2 pounds of sugar selling for $50.
“There was nothing. We were eating pieces of bread with water,” he said.
Alia Imad, a mother of three whose family paid $300 to a smuggler to lead them to safety, said there is no drinking water left in the town. “Most people drink water that’s not clean. The majority are surviving on that and a bit of bread,” she said.
The group she was with had come under fire during their escape from the militants, she said. A woman was killed, and they had to bury her by the road.
Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator, said conditions in Tal Afar are “very tough.”
“Thousands of people are leaving, seeking safety and assistance. Families escaping northeast are trekking 10 and up to 20 hours to reach mustering points. They are exhausted and many are dehydrated when they finally arrive,” she said.
Lt. Gen. Anwar Hama, of the Iraqi air force, said that air strikes this week have targeted Islamic State headquarters, tunnels and weapons’ stores.
But Iraqi forces, closely backed by the U.S.-led coalition, are not expected to push into the town for a few more weeks, according to an Iraqi officer overseeing the operation. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Balint Szlanko and Qassim Abdul-Zahra are Associated Press writers.