Africa Map

African Press Agency

African Press Agency Logo
   

 Home
 Country Profile
 Useful Links
 Contact us

Home

Civilians/MosulBack
[Published: Wednesday October 19 2016]

Civilians flee Mosul ahead of fighting

Mosul, Iraq 19 Oct (ANA) - Some 900 people have fled the Iraqi city of Mosul and crossed the border into Syria, the UN refugee agency says. This is the first large group of civilians confirmed to have escaped since the Iraqi government began its offensive to liberate Mosul from the so-called Islamic State (IS) on Monday. Up to 1.5 million are thought to be in Mosul, with up to 5,000 IS fighters. There are fears the militants will use the civilians as human shields as Iraqi forces get closer to Mosul. A spokeswoman for the Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that more than 900 people from Mosul had crossed the border into Syria and were now at a refugee camp. She said it was likely the agency would use the camp as a staging-post before moving them back across the border to a safe location in Iraq, the BBC's Richard Galpin reports. The movement of a significant number of people indicates that IS militants are not able to stop everyone leaving, our correspondent notes. It will also raise questions about whether some fighters might try to use the same route to flee, he adds.(ANA)
FA/ANA/19 October 2016-----
 

North South News website

Advertise banner

News icon EU/Kenya/Pesticides
News icon UN/Israel/Gza
News icon US/Israel/Gaza
News icon Pakistan/ISI Interference
News icon EU/North Africa
News icon Senegal/Elections
News icon Israel/Gaza Massacre
News icon Russia/NATO
News icon Gaza/Victims Number
News icon Kenya/Uganda

AFRICAN PRESS AGENCY Copyright © 2005 - 2007