“In the process of liberating Mosul many civilians are dying. Daesh uses them as living shield s. Those who try to escape get killed. Daesh attacked the houses of local residents and attacked government troops using sniper rifles,” Mamuziny said.
Considering the fact that Daesh militants often take positions in the houses of civilians, there are significant losses among the civilian population.
“Just recently Daesh executed 16 residents who tried to flee to a safe area. In total, in the last month Daesh has executed 325 civilians who tried to escape from Mosul,” Mamuziny said.
Despite the casualties, anti-Daesh forces on the ground predict that the Mosul operation is nearing its end.
The Iraqi army, which managed to liberate the eastern part of Mosul from the terrorists, claims that significant progress has been made.
However, in turn, Daesh is using vehicles laden with explosives and traps along with mines in an attempt to impede the advancement of the Iraqi government forces, which are supported by the coalition forces led by the United States.
“Yesterday morning, the forces of Hashd al-Sha'abi launched an offensive in Keyran area. Due to the clashes Daesh is suffering serious losses. The operation in Mosul is nearing its completion. The Keyran district will be liberated in the holy month of Ramadan and Mosul as a whole will be taken after the end of Ramadan,” Ali Ebu Tehir, commander of the militia unit of Hashd al-Sha'abi, told Sputnik.
