The major fighting in Mosul remained in the Zinjali
neighborhood in the center of the city. The army, police and Golden Division are
all involved. The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were originally overly optimistic
claiming it could clear Zinjali, Shifa and Saha by June 1. The last one is the
only one that has been liberated so far, and that was on June 2. The Iraqi
forces are constantly claiming that victory is around the corner as part of its
propaganda campaign. Others predicted that this final battle would be the
toughest so far and that is proving true.
The Associated Press
had a harrowing story of how people attempting to flee the grasp of the Islamic
State were gunned down in Mosul. On June 1, several hundred civilians were
attempting to get to government lines in the city when they were hit by IS
snipers. The ISF returned fire to try to cover the people’s escape. Many were
hit and laid out on the street for up to two days wounded and dying. The
Coalition brought in air strikes to suppress the IS fire and allow a rescue.
One medic had a tank come up and shield people. The United Nations reported
that up to 163 died that day, while an Iraqi colonel put the figure at 150. One
clinic treated 40 wounded as well.
The United Nations included that incident in a warning
about the increasing civilian toll in the fighting in Mosul. The 163 deaths
occurred in Shifa, which is next to Zinjali in the middle of the city. On May
26, another 27 were killed by the Islamic State in that same neighborhood, and
then 41 more on June 3, again in Shifa. An air strike was also blamed for 50-80
fatalities in Zinjali. The United Nations wrote that some of these events could
be considered war crimes. West Mosul had a denser population and layout than
the east. The Iraqi and Coalition forces have also deployed more mortars,
artillery and air strikes, and the insurgents continue to use human shields and
attack anyone they see attempting to leave their areas. All combined that has
led to an incredible amount of casualties.
Reuters wrote a piece about extra judicial killings and
group punishment going on in Ninewa. 15 men were found blindfolded, bound and
shot dead along a road in a town outside of Mosul. One had an ID, which Reuters
investigated and found that he was on a government wanted list for IS suspects.
Its believed that some security force was responsible for the shootings. These
murders were included in a recent Human Rights Report (HRW) paper
that documented similar incidents. Reuters also talked with families being held
at a camp, which HRW called an “open air prison” for IS families. One family
was kicked out of their village because some of their relatives joined the
militants. They were then held at a displacement camp by government forces and
were not allowed to leave for 5 months. Both of these stories are one of many
that highlight the fact that Iraq has a broken justice system. The joint Iraqi
forces often kill suspects rather than send them to courts for any number of
reasons. The authorities also don’t have any policy to deal with IS relatives
or suspects, and many in the province want revenge against those people. What’s
happening in Ninewa has happened in other provinces such as Anbar and
Salahaddin, and that is to punish the families along with those individuals
that joined the Islamic State. Baghdad has no plan on how to deal with this
issue, and it’s an open question if it would be followed through with if one
was formulated. Local forces, families and tribes are likely to dish out their
own brand of justice, another sign that the legacy of IS will last a long time
in Iraq.
The Hashd were still clearing areas in west Mosul along the
Syrian border, and drawing more criticism from the Kurds. The Hashd took the
village and border crossing of the same name in Tal Safwak. The Syrian Kurd
People’s Protection Units (YPG) controlled the other side of the crossing.
Deputy Hashd commander Abu Muhandis called the YPG “our Syrian Kurdish
brothers.” On the other hand, the Peshmerga commander for Sinjar Qasim Shushu claimed
that 300 Yazidis that had joined the Hashd quit. He told the press that they
had become disillusioned. The Hashd have had two goals in their Ninewa
campaign. One was to clear the border region of IS elements. The other was to
put its forces along that of the Kurds in the Sinjar district. Many Hashd have
said they oppose Kurdish independence and its annexation of the disputed areas
such as Sinjar. Their presence has led to a war of words between the two sides.
Others believe that the pro-Iran Hashd units want to reach the Syrian border to
assist Iran in sending men and materials overland to assist the Assad
government.
The number of displaced from the fighting continued to rise.
The International Organization for Migration recorded
379,014 registered displaced (IDPs) on June 4. That grew to 386,400 by June 8.
There are many more that have never signed up with the authorities that have
fled their homes as well. At the end of the week the number of IDPs coming out
of Mosul increased
to 25,000 from June 6-7. Earlier in the week only 2,000-3,000 were leaving per
day. There has also been new displacement from Tal Afar and Baaj in west
Ninewa. Those people are being sent to Hamam al-Alil for screening and then
onto IDP camps. The United Nations just opened a new camp Al Salamaiya 2 south
of Mosul and around 2,400 IDPs have entered so far. There are other camps with
room to the east and north of the city, but the Iraqi authorities are not
telling people about them, nor providing transportation to them.
SOURCES
Buratha News, "The crowd repulsed an attack by
terrorists who fled into Syrian territory and killed the attackers,"
6/8/17
Coles, Isabel,
“Rough justice in Iraq: one man’s path to mass execution by the roadside,”
Reuters, 6/8/17
Erm News, "A Rapid Reaction Division Commander was
killed by a mortar west Mosul," 6/8/17
Human Rights Watch, “Iraq: Dozens Found Handcuffed, Executed
in, around Mosul,” 6/4/17
International
Organization for Migration, “Displacement Tracking Matrix Emergency Tracking
Factsheet #32 – Mosul Operations From 17 October To 8 June,” 6/8/17
Iraq Oil Report, "Inside Mosul: June 8, 2017,"
6/8/17
Al Jazeera, "UN: ISIL
kills 163 people in Mosul in one day," 6/6/17
Al Mada, “Joint forces pursue those that escaped security
checks in Mosul camps,” 6/8/17
Mostafa, Nehal, “Civilians killed, injured as Iraqi troops
shell Mosul’s Old City,” Iraqi News, 6/8/17
Niqash, “Secular
Snacks: Mosul Locals Taste New Freedoms During Post-Extremist Ramadan,” 6/8/17
Ramsay, Stuart,
“Mosul battle a ‘deadly game of cat and mouse’ with Islamic State,” Sky News,
6/8/17
Rojkan, Mira, "Civilians Killed, Injured by Iraqi Army
Shelling in Mosul's Old City," Bas News, 6/8/17
- "IS Again Uses Chemical Weapons on Civilians in
Mosul," Bas News, 6/8/17
Rudaw, “Hashd forces retake Ira-Syria border checkpoint from ISIS,”
6/8/17
Shafaaq News, "Iraqi
forces converge to liberate Zinjali in Mosul and soldiers wounded in two
attacks," 6/8/17
Sotaliraq, “Hundreds
of Yazidis left the ranks of the popular crowd,” 6/9/17
Szlanko, Balint,
“Bullets fell like rain: Fleeing Iraqis caught in IS ambush,” Associated Press,
6/8/17
UN High Commissioner
for Refugees, “Iraq Situation: UNHCR Flash Update – 8 June 2017” 6/8/17
UN News Centre,
“Recent killings in western Mosul indicative of rising atrocities against
civilians – UN rights arm,” 6/8/17
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