Civilians suffer as fight for Mosul intensifies

Hundreds of civilians have been injured in and around Mosul as Iraqi forces face stiff resistance in the ongoing fight to liberate the city from Daesh.

A major operation by Iraqi Armed Forces, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Popular Mobilisation Forces backed by an international coalition was launched on October 17, after the Iraqi government resolved to regain control of Mosul.

Civilians were injured by Daesh mortars and sniper fire.

The incidents occurred in villages and towns around Mosul. Although Iraqi forces have recaptured these areas, they are still struggling to consolidate the gains made so far.

Iraqi military medics on Wednesday resorted to rushing injured civilians into a temporary field clinic on the eastern edges of Mosul.

Black armoured vehicles sped into the makeshift clinic throughout the morning, ferrying in the wounded including an elderly man shot through the knee.

A girl hit in the chest was also being treated.

"Most casualties here are civilians," a medic who gave his name as Mohammed, said at a makeshift clinic in the Kokjali area.

"Islamic State (Daesh) shell randomly or target civilians with mortar and sniper fire. Most of the wounded are from mortars."

Meanwhile, military doctor Captain Nizar said medics under his command were treating between 50 and 200 wounded civilians every day at a clinic on the outskirts of Mosul.

"We had 25 civilian deaths yesterday," said Nizar, who did not give his full name.

The casualty toll could not be independently verified.

Medics had put up a white flag with a red crescent close to the clinic. The building had been damaged by shellfire and was mostly empty apart from several camp beds used to treat patients.