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AI: US Strikes Killing, Not Protecting Mosul’s Civilians

AI: US Strikes Killing, Not Protecting Mosul’s Civilians
folder_openIraq access_time7 years ago
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Local Editor

Amnesty International warned Tuesday that the recent spike in civilian casualties in Mosul suggests the US-led coalition is not taking adequate precautions to prevent civilian deaths.

AI: US Strikes Killing, Not Protecting Mosul’s Civilians

The human rights group's report follows acknowledgement from the coalition that the US military was behind a March 17 strike in a western Mosul neighborhood that residents have said killed more than a hundred civilians.

Meanwhile, US officials did not confirm there were civilian casualties but opened an investigation.

The report also cites a second strike Saturday that it said killed "up to 150 people."
Evidence gathered on the ground in Mosul "points to an alarming pattern of US-led coalition airstrikes which have destroyed whole houses with entire families inside," the report stated.

It said any failure to take precautions to prevent civilian casualties would be "in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law."

Iraqi forces began the assault on Daesh [Arabic Acrronym for the terrorist "ISIS"/"ISIL" group]-held Mosul in October after months of preparation and buildup. In January, Iraq declared east Mosul "fully liberated" and government forces are now battling to retake the city's western half.

When the operation to retake Mosul was launched, more than a million people were estimated to still be living in Mosul. Today, the United Nations estimates about 400,000 people remain trapped in Daesh-held neighborhoods in the city.

Amnesty International's report quoted survivors and eyewitnesses of airstrikes that have killed civilians as saying "they did not try to flee as the battle got underway because they received repeated instructions from the Iraqi authorities to remain in their homes."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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