The Rapid Response is now using curtains to avoid being detected as they try to enter the Old City, a highly populated area with narrow streets that makes it almost impossible for military vehicles to move around, and therefore further exposes them to ISIS fire.
UN: Camps for displaced persons south of Mosul are full
In the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) weekly update, it stated internally displaced persons (IDPs) continue to be transferred to camps south of Mosul, but they are full. Camps to the east and northeast of Mosul are ready to receive up to 27,400 IDPs.
The report states since the third phase of the Mosul offensive began on Feb. 19 — the retaking of western Mosul from ISIS militants — at least 89,000 persons have fled, 60,000 are sheltered in camps, while a growing number are reportedly sheltered in host communities in eastern Mosul.
The Iraqi government has put the figure above 100,000 persons, which indicates around 600,000 people still remain in western Mosul.
Up to 15,000 IDPs arrive at Hammam Al-Alil screening site daily, and UNHCR stated it expects that number to increase, so the agency is “working round the clock” to increase capacity by 4,000 persons.
As of Monday, the Kurdistan Region has taken in 4,249 families and 21,523 individuals from Mosul since Feb. 19, according to statistics from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Joint Crisis Coordination Centre (JCC).
Tuesday’s report stated currently 224,298 Iraqis have been internally displaced from Mosul since Oct. 17, while 250,952 Iraqis are hosted in regional countries and 14,486 Iraqis were received in Al Hol camp in Syria.
[Originally published by Rudaw English and reproduced here with permission.]
