ISIS jihadis will control war-ridden city of Mosul for 'MANY MONTHS' says Iraqi minister
ISLAMIC State militants will control Mosul for many more months, an Iraqi minister has chillingly warned.
Haider Al-Abadi, the Iraqi Prime Minister has been condemned for keeping citizens in the city
With an army of more than 5,000 militants, ISIS is thriving in underground tunnels where they can deploy surprise suicide car bombs against advancing Iraqi forces.
Jassim al-Attiyah, Iraq’s deputy minister for migration and displacement, said he expects the situation to worsen because displaced civilians are getting in the way of the battle for Mosul.
Royal Air Force destroys an ISIS tank near Mosul
People of Mosul have only two options... either way it's a slow death
He added: “The situation will worsen for many months. Security forces have retaken neighbourhoods on the eastern side of the Tigris River that carves the city in half, but they have not yet entered areas on the other side.”
With more than 150,000 displaced civilians across the city, the Iraqi soldiers are finding it difficult to attack ISIS because the innocent residents could get caught up in the explosions.
Children are chasing aid trucks that do not have enough food for all in the small town
It has now been revealed people are struggling to find food and safe drinking water in the besieged city.
Yours Sabris, a Mosul resident who escaped, said: “The humanitarian situation there was very bad. Even the basics were not available.
“People of Mosul have only two options: stay inside and die because of the bombing or hunger, or go to the camps - to prison.
“Either way it’s a slow death.”
The War that Bush led in 2003 was the largest attack Iraq had seen
The government have said they are restricting civilian movement because of “security reasons”.
The Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, has been urged to force families out of their homes to quicken the battle, but he has forced civilians to “stay put”.
A Mosul family who escaped the city, are waiting for aid from the UN, but are left hungry
Ishan al-Shammari, head of the Iraqi Centre for Political Though think-tank said: “It is a matter of time before Daesh are defeated inside Mosul. Their ammunition and equipment are being depleted.”
The Iraqi government has said, it hopes internal uprisings would break out against the jihadi's, allowing their army to advance.