UN concern for civilians in Mosul war; urges special precaution for children

UN concern for civilians in Mosul war; urges special precaution for children

By Rudaw   20 hours ago 


Displaced Iraqi families near Qayyarah. AFP photo.
   
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United Nations said Monday it is “deeply disturbed” by the number of civilian casualties from crossfire, improvised bombs and their use as human shields as an international offensive to evict ISIS from Mosul intensified.

"We are deeply disturbed by reports of civilian deaths and injuries from crossfire and improvised mines, forced recruitment of children and the use of families as human shields in areas under control of ISIL," said Lise Grande, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, referring to ISIS with it alternative acronym.

Grande expressed concern that casualties would increase as the battle escalates, particularly jeopardizing children who may be caught in the crossfire. The humanitarian coordinator urged all parties involved to take special precaution to ensure the safety of children.

“We are especially concerned over reports that children and women are being used as human shields and call on all parties to respect the rights of women and children, who are paying a heavy price for a conflict not of their making,” Grande said in a statement.

The statement noted that the operation has already resulted in more than 29,000 IDPs (internally displaced persons) since the military offensive began three weeks ago and that 37,000 have been displaced from Hawija district since early August.

Humanitarian agencies say they are providing “life-saving assistance” to IDPs within the camps and recently liberated areas. In the meantime, new emergency sites are currently under construction as “emergency supplies continue to be pre-positioned”.

The UN statement went on to say that assistance is distributed based on “assessed needs and vulnerabilities.”

According to the UN, 200,000 IDPs were expected to flee Mosul in the first weeks of the offensive. The UN fears this number could escalate to as high as 1 million persons in the worst case scenario.

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