Civilian lives at risk in the battle for Mosul
Humanitarian aid agencies are bracing for over a million Iraqis to be displaced by the battle for Mosul. It is estimated that as many as 700,000 will be in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical care. Here’s what you need to know about the crisis:
What is Mosul?
In 2014, the militant group ISIS overran great swathes of Iraq and gained control of key cities including Mosul, the country’s second largest city with a population of 2 million. Hundreds were killed and 500,000 terrified Iraqis fled their homes.
Why is Mosul important?
Iraq already struggles with one of the largest humanitarian crises in the Middle East. Since January 2014, 3.4 million people, including 1.5 million children, have been forced from their homes, some families uprooted multiple times. Around 850,000 have sought safety in the Kurdish region of Iraq, joining 250,000 Syrian refugees there.
Thousands of Iraqis remain in desperate need of shelter, food, water and safety as militants continue their violent campaign. The battle for Mosul could force a million more people into crisis.
ISIS has planted land mines, bombs and booby-traps around the city, which makes it very dangerous for anyone to leave.
What’s the situation in Mosul right now?
The military operation to retake the city of Mosul began on Oct. 17, without clear routes for families to escape safely.
The primary focus of the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga and coalition forces is to remove ISIS from Mosul. As these troops recapture villages and towns surrounding Mosul, Iraqis are escaping the violence: more than 160,000 have fled their homes already; thousands from the towns of Qayyarah and Hawija have reached Kirkuk, where the IRC is helping the displaced with cash distributions.
What is life like in Mosul under ISIS?
In addition to enduring harsh rules and severe punishments under ISIS, Mosul’s residents have been struggling to meet their daily needs. The halting of cement production, once Mosul’s leading industry, and an economic downturn that has cost many other jobs, have left people unable to afford the skyrocketing costs of food and medical care.
Up to 75 percent of the city’s infrastructure is thought to have been destroyed or left to unravel by ISIS. The water system runs at half capacity and tap water is no longer safe to drink. Mobile networks have been shut down and internet access ceased to function in August 2016.
People who have managed to escape have told IRC aid workers that ISIS is increasing its patrols and anyone caught trying to escape risks execution.
Many of Mosul’s Shia mosques, Yazidi shrines, Christian churches and heritage sites have been looted or destroyed — including the remains of the ancient city of Nineveh.
These difficulties mean that people fleeing Mosul will require help far beyond the immediate needs of food, water and shelter. Many are likely to need medical attention and trauma counseling, and children will need to catch up on two years of missed or disrupted education.
What dangers do Iraqi civilians face?
Civilians in Mosul are faced with horrific obstacles to reach safety.
ISIS has planted land mines, bombs and booby-traps around the city, which makes it very dangerous for anyone to leave. Snipers are targeting civilians in the streets. People who have managed to escape have told IRC aid workers that ISIS is increasing its patrols and anyone caught trying to escape risks execution.
People who stay in Mosul risk being killed in the fighting and bomb attacks, or trapped without food or medicine while the city is under siege. There have been reports of residents buying white cloth to use as flags so they can identify themselves as civilians when the Iraqi army arrives. They are terrified they will accidentally get hit by the bombardment.
Since January 2014, 3.4 million people, including 1.5 million children, have been forced from their homes, some families uprooted multiple times.
The IRC is particularly concerned that some of the most vulnerable civilians will be among those left behind, including elderly people, pregnant women, small children, and women and girls who have lost male relatives. Hospitals are treating several children and elderly for respiratory problems caused by inhaling smoke from oil fires burning in the defensive trenches surrounding the city.
What are the humanitarian concerns in Mosul?
- Most displaced people will end up in abandoned buildings, schools and mosques without proper water and sanitation systems.
- Families will become separated without access to food, water or toilets. Some may end up without any shelter, exposed to the harsh desert heat.
- Fleeing Iraqis must pass through security screening centers before being transported away from the frontline. Men and boys above 14 are checked thoroughly to make sure they are not ISIS members.
Refugee Crisis: How the IRC helps
The International Rescue Committee is providing relief to millions of uprooted people inside Syria; in neighboring Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan; in Afghanistan; in Greece and Serbia; and in our 29 resettlement offices in the United States. Learn more about the IRC’s response to the refugee crisis and how you can help.
Nearly 60 million people have been forced to flee their homes by war, conflict and persecution — more lives uprooted than at any time since World War II. Produced by the International Rescue Committee, “Uprooted” keeps the spotlight on the individual human beings behind the tragic numbers in this global refugee crisis.
