In October the Iraqi army, with support from Shiite militia, Kurdish Peshmerga forces and federal police, as well as the backing of the US-led coalition, launched an offensive to liberate Mosul from the jihadist terror group, which has occupied the city since July 2014.
The coalition is currently making preparations for an offensive on the western part of Mosul, which is still under Daesh control.
Last week, the children's charity Save the Children said that about 350,000 children are currently trapped in the western part of Mosul, ahead of the anti-terror operation.
"An estimated 350,000 children are trapped in siege-like conditions under ISIS control in western Mosul, risking summary execution by militants if they try to flee, as Iraqi and coalition forces look set to cross the River Tigris and advance deeper into the city," the statement said.
Mosul residents who have managed to flee to safety have told of horrific torture at the hands of the terrorist group. A local woman, known as C., told Sputnik Arabic that she regularly saw Daesh members torturing children.
She said that children who were left unattended were cruelly mistreated, and recounted two cases in which girls under the age of ten were kidnapped by female Daesh members.
However, the "bite" was in fact carried out with a special metal device that deeply wounded the children, and caused them to bleed to death.
C. told Sputnik that Mosul residents have to adhere to a strict dress code. Women have to keep their bodies covered with all-black clothes, and cover their faces with veils two layers thick that obstruct breathing. Many women there have not been able to leave their homes for months.
Special observers roam the streets to ensure compliance with the rules, with the power to issue fines or lashes in punishment.
No criticism is tolerated, and Daesh terrorists have sewn up the mouths of people who dared to do so.
In one case, a woman was stopped by Daesh fighters in a marketplace in eastern Mosul. They removed the veil from her face and subjected her 30 lashes, as a result of which she died a few hours later.
