- As Nearly 70 dead in al-Shabab attack on Somalia military base
The UN has received reports that 231 Iraqi civilians have been killed by so-called Islamic State while attempting to flee Mosul over the past two weeks.
At least 204 are believed to have been shot dead by militants during clashes with Iraqi security forces in the Shifa district last Thursday and Saturday.
The UN said it had noted a “significant escalation” in such killings.
There are also reports of between 50 and 80 civilians being killed in an air strike on the Zanjili area on 31 May.
Pro-government forces launched an offensive to retake Mosul in October with the support of a US-led multinational coalition.
They managed to take full control of the eastern half of Mosul in January and started an assault on the west the following month.
Fewer than 1,000 militants are now besieged in IS-controlled parts of the Old City and several adjoining northern districts, along with some 100,000 civilians.
The UN Human Rights office said it had documented IS “use of civilians as human shields and its slaughter of those attempting to flee” since the start of the operation, but that recent reports indicated “a significant escalation in such killings”.
On 26 May, militants reportedly shot at civilians trying to flee Shifa, killing 27 people, including 14 women and five children.
Another 163 civilians were allegedly shot dead next to a Pepsi factory in the same district last Thursday. Their bodies were reportedly left on the street for days.
And on Saturday, IS reportedly shot and killed at least 41 civilians as they attempted to flee Shifa towards Iraqi security forces locations.
That day, Reuters news agency journalists saw the bodies of dozens of civilians lying along a road leading out of Zanjili.
“Shooting children as they try to run to safety with their families – there are no words of condemnation strong enough for such despicable acts,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein said.
“I call on the Iraqi authorities to ensure that those who are responsible for these horrors are held accountable and brought to justice in line with international human rights laws and standards. The victims of such terrible crimes must not be forgotten.”
In the meantime, heavily armed al-Shabab extremists have stormed a military base in Somalia’s semiautonomous state of Puntland, killing close to 70 people and wounding dozens more, officials said Thursday. Residents said civilians, including women, were beheaded during the rampage.
Officials called it the region’s deadliest attack in years, highlighting the twin challenges facing security forces from the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab and the growing presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State group.
The attack began with a blast at the remote Af-Urur camp, roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of the commercial hub of Bossaso, before the extremists overran the base and killed soldiers at close range, said Ahmed Mohamed, a senior military official.
Close to 70 people were killed, though an exact death toll was not yet available, Mohamed said. Abdi Hersi Ali, Puntland’s interior minister, said troops suffered causalities but he declined to give further details.
Residents in the area reported chaotic scenes, with fighters beheading several civilians they encountered. One witness, Abdibasit Hassan, said women were among those beheaded.
“The situation is grim over there. This attack was an unexpected one,” Mohamed said. The extremists, including suicide bombers, reportedly attacked the base from three directions, forcing soldiers to retreat.
Col. Hashi Ahmed, a senior military official, told The Associated Press that reinforcement troops reached the area and drove the extremists out of the camp. He estimated that at least 100 fighters were involved in the attack.
Al-Shabab claimed killing at least 61 soldiers in the attack. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist groups, said the extremist group issued the claim via its Shahada News Agency. Al-Shabab also said it seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition and more than a dozen military vehicles.
Puntland in northern Somalia also faces a growing threat from ISIS-linked fighters who have split from al-Shabab.
Liban Mohamed, a nurse at the hospital in nearby Armo town, said at least 40 wounded soldiers had been brought there after Thursday’s attack.
BBC with additional report from ABC
