The Iraqi forces were involved in heavy fighting across west
Mosul. There were clashes between the Islamic State and Golden Division in the Siha
neighborhood, and with the police in the Old City district. The Golden Division
has been making steady progress up the middle and western section of the city,
while the police have been stuck in the Old City for more than a month. The narrow
streets, dense layout of buildings, and Islamic State defenses have all held up
taking the district.
There were more civilian casualties reported in Mosul. A car bomb went off in
Zuhur in liberated east Mosul leaving 4 dead and 14 wounded. This was the first
successful vehicle bomb in the east since February, and highlighted the fact
that IS still has active cells in that half of the city. Air
strikes in three pars of west Mosul left 17 fatalities and 30 injured. The
Iraqi and Coalition forces have said they want to protect civilians, but the
increase use of airpower and artillery along with the layout of east Mosul, and
the use of human shields have all contributed to rising civilian deaths. That
was the basis for a story by the Los Angeles Times
that noted a huge spike in reported civilian casualties in the last few months
based on data collected by Airwars.
Reuters had two pieces on the good
and bad
side of life in east Mosul today. At a park in the east, around 2,000 people
were out and about picnicking while kids played in a public waterfall. Families
said that they could have never done things like that under the Islamic State. On
the other hand, 100 former state prisoner workers held a protest complaining
that they had not been paid for 6 months. Government workers have to go through
a vetting process to get back on the payroll. A man said there were no jobs and
reconstruction going on, and he was afraid Baghdad would ignore the city again.
The people of Mosul have been incredibly resilient as shown by the scene in the
park. At the same time, there are no services, limited jobs, and no real
rebuilding going on. The city is still a warzone so some of that is to be
expected, but the government will have a huge task putting the city back
together again.
In the third week of April more displaced
were returning rather than leaving from camps. In three camps east of Mosul
more than twice as many families left as arrived according to the United
Nations. The vast majority were going to east Mosul, including many people from
west Mosul. Overall though, several thousand people were still coming out of
the city everyday. This is part of the constant ebb and flow of displacement
caused by the fighting.
SOURCES
Abdelaziz, Salma, McWhinnie, Scott and Paton, Nick, “This is
life inside Mosul’s Old City,” CNN, 4/21/17
Aboulenein, Ahmed, “At Mosul waterfalls, Iraqis savor small
joys of post-Islamic State life,” Reuters, 4/21/17
Baghdad
Post, "Dozens killed, injured in airstrikes on Mosul's right bank,"
4/21/17
- “Intensive clashes between Iraqi security forces, ISIS in
Mosul,” 4/21/17
- “Iraqi forces continue push on ISIS in right bank of
Mosul,” 4/21/17
Deutsche Welle, “Mosul: The battle for Iraq’s future,”
4/21/17
Hennessy-Fiske, Molly and Hennigan,
W.J., “Civilian casualties from airstrikes appear on the rise. Is it a sign of
a scorched-earth policy under Trump?” Los Angeles Times, 4/21/17
Iraq
News App, "18 people killed and injured in a car bomb explosion east of
Mosul," 4/21/17
Laessing, Ulf, “Resentment festers in Mosul: just ask Saddam
Hussein,” Reuters, 4/21/17
Miller, Anna Lekas, “Iraqis displaced in Mosul fight
sickened by toxic oil fires,” UPI, 4/21/17
UN High Commissioner for Refugees, “Iraq Situation: UNHCR
Flash Update – 20 April 2017,” 4/20/17
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