Civilians, IS fighters killed in west Mosul mosque strike, residents say

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attacks, but the Pentagon has warned the Islamic State would use chemical weapons against US -backed Iraqi forces fighting to retake Mosul.

Iraqi government forces backed by the US-led coalition managed to prevent a counter-attack by Isis militants in southwestern Mosul early on Thursday (2 March).

The Red Cross said it had seven patients at its Rozhawa hospital near Mosul who appeared to have been exposed to a toxic chemical agent.

Iraqi forces launched attacks against IS-held neighbourhoods in western Mosul from three points on Sunday morning.

Late in January, Abadi declared the liberation of the eastern side of Mosul, or the left bank of Tigris, after more than 100 days of fighting against IS militants.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq Lise Grande called for an investigation, saying there is never justification for using chemical weapons.

A total of 43,806 people have fled western Mosul since February 26, including 15,400 people in the past two days, the United Nations has said.

Key Islamic State commanders, specifically the members of the terror organization’s self-styled “Mujahideen Shura” or advisory council, have taken off for the relative safety of Syria, deserting their remaining strongholds in the Nineveh region of Iraq, where Mosul is located. Mosul residents said they had not been able to travel on the highway that begins at the “Syria Gate” since Tuesday.

Iraqi forces cut the Islamic States’ access to the highway near the village of Badush, which is about 6 miles west from Mosul proper, BBC News reported. The families are being held against their will in a camp functioning as an open-air prison near Tikrit. In many cases, the families are not believed to really be affiliated with Islamic State.

“We effectively control the road, it is within our sight”, he said. She said tests were being done to determine the nature of the agent.

MOSUL, IRAQ-Thousands of civilians fled Mosul overnight as Iraqi forces advanced north of a sprawling military base near the city’s airport on Friday.

According to global law, parties to a conflict may attack only military targets, the report said.