Militant fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) have killed more than 160 people in one day last week in a bid to prevent them from escaping western Mosul, the United Nations reported on Tuesday, like reported by aranews.net.
The attack on Iraqi civilians stranded in the ISIS-held Western Mosul comes amidst a heavy military pressure on the radical group from the US-led coalition and Iraqi forces.
“The brutality of Daesh [ISIS] and other terrorist groups seemingly knows no bounds,” said Zeid bin Ra’ad al-Hussein, the UN’s human rights chief.
“Bodies of murdered Iraqi men, women and children still lay on the streets of the al-Shira neighbourhood of western Mosul, after at least 163 people were shot and killed by Daesh to prevent them from fleeing,” the UN official said.
Local sources told ARA News that the mass killings took place on 1 June.
ISIS has been using civilians as human shields in Western Mosul, in an attempt to impede the US-backed Iraqi troops’ progress.
Iraqi forces recaptured eastern Mosul in January, and launched a new push to retake the remaining districts of Iraq’s second largest city.
Over 200,000 civilians remain trapped in ISIS-held parts of Mosul.
According to the United Nations, the population in ISIS-held enclave live in harrowing conditions, “running low on food, water and medicine, and with limited access to hospitals.”
