UN: 20,000 People Still Trapped in Old Mosul by ISIS

A senior UN official says that up to 20,000 civilians are still trapped in the old city of Mosul by ISIS militants. After eight months of operations to reclaim Mosul, only a small part of the city remains under ISIS control. According to the French news agency, Liz Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator, stated on Thursday, July 6, that the heavy battle for reclaiming the last ISIS stronghold in Mosul continues, and 15,000 or perhaps 20,000 civilians are in a very dangerous situation in this conflict. The UN humanitarian coordinator said, "Our estimate at this point is that there are 15,000 and even perhaps 20,000 civilians in the remaining parts of the old city of Mosul." She emphasized that those still trapped in the old city are in very dire conditions and facing food shortages. According to Liz Grande, these civilians are exposed to bombardment and fire from both sides, and ISIS forces target civilians attempting to flee the conflict. Since the beginning of the operations to reclaim Mosul, nearly 915,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, of which 700,000 are still displaced. Liz Grande noted that 44% of residential areas in western Mosul have been destroyed: "Area 6 of Mosul has been completely destroyed, Area 22 has been relatively less damaged, and Area 16 has seen minimal damage." Based on initial estimates, more than $700 million is needed to stabilize the situation and restore basic services in western Mosul. Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, was captured by ISIS forces in 2014 without significant resistance from the Iraqi army, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of this group, announced his 'caliphate' in the al-Nuri Mosque in this city.