A boy injured in a mortar attack walks toward an ambulance after being treated by medics in a field clinic as Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants, in western Mosul. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Civilians are fleeing western Mosul in droves as US-backed Iraqi forces conduct a military operation against the ISIS terrorist group.
According to the Iraqi government, over 72,000 civilians have fled their homes since mid-February. The UN estimates that 250,000 civilians will be displaced only from western Mosul following the operation.
In total over 200,000 people have been already displaced from the city since US-backed Iraqi troops have started their offensive to retake Mosul in October, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
Meanwhile, the mainstream media showcases the Mosul offensive as a pinpoint operation against terrorists, backed by the US-led coalition. Such claims look cinical amid mass displacement and casualties among civilians in the city.
The same media which have blamed the Russian-backed operaion against al-Qaeda in the Syrian city of Aleppo now ingore the humanitarian crisis in the area of Mosul.