Increase in Civilian Deaths Halts Mosul Operations

A spokesperson for Iraqi security forces announced that due to the rise in civilian deaths during the Mosul operations, Iraqi government forces halted their efforts to retake Mosul from ISIS on Saturday, April 5. According to Reuters, the unnamed spokesperson from the Iraqi Federal Police stated, "The recent high number of civilian deaths in the old center [of Mosul] forced us to stop operations and reconsider our plans." He added, "It is time to consider new offensive plans. Currently, none of the combat operations will continue." A recent statement from the Iraqi army published in the state newspaper Al-Sabah indicated that future operations in Mosul will be conducted by ground forces and individuals who have received extensive training for urban combat. The spokesperson's remarks regarding the increase in civilian deaths refer to airstrikes by the Iraqi army and international coalition forces that have recently taken place in the "Jadida" neighborhood of Mosul and other areas in the west of the city. Local officials have reported that the number of civilian casualties from these bombings in the past week ranges from "dozens" to "500," and many bodies are still reported to be trapped under the rubble. According to AFP, the U.S.-led coalition, which is assisting the Iraqi government in the operation to retake Mosul from ISIS, stated on Saturday that they had bombed a location in western Mosul. The statement read: "Preliminary information review indicates that coalition forces targeted armed individuals and equipment at a location that reportedly had civilian casualties in western Mosul at the request of Iraqi security forces on March 17." Mosul is the second-largest city in Iraq, and currently, its eastern part, located east of the Tigris River, is fully under the control of the Iraqi government. Iraqi government forces aim to advance from the southwest of the city to liberate the rest of it from ISIS control. ISIS fighters, who are currently entrenched in the west of the Tigris and in the old center of Mosul, are almost surrounded from all sides, but the high population density in the neighborhoods where ISIS is stationed complicates the advance to retake these areas. The Iraqi Ministry of Migration announced on Saturday that more than 200,000 people have fled the city since the beginning of the operation to retake western Mosul. Hundreds of thousands of other civilians remain in danger in western Mosul, and the United Nations has expressed concern over the rising human casualties in the area.