Roundup: UN refugee agency focuses on aiding displaced as Iraqi offensive moves to west Mosul

The United Nations refugee agency is focusing efforts on camp construction in and around the Iraqi city of Mosul, where renewed fighting could displace up to 250,000 people, UN officials said here Tuesday.

With the predicted exodus of up to a quarter of a million people, it will be impossible to accommodate such large numbers on existing land, the officials said, quoting information from the UN Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

About 217,000 people have fled from the eastern sections of Mosul since the military offensive to oust Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or Da'esh) terrorists began on Oct. 17, 2016.

About 160,000 remained displaced while others have returned to their homes in the now government-controlled areas.

The UNHCR has eight camps open or completed at present, and one under construction, and it is planning for the start of work at another site in Hamam Al Alil, south of Mosul.

The Iraqi government has decided, initially, to transport people displaced from western Mosul to camps in the east while new capacity is being added in the south.

The UNHCR has been asked to support a new site at Hamam Al-Alil, 20 km south of Mosul. It is expected that many of those fleeing western Mosul will reach there on foot. This site will provide shelter for up to 60,000 people.

According to reports and testimonies, conditions in the densely-populated west of the city are worsening, and hence concerns are mounting for the well-being of civilians.

There are shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine. Half of all food shops have closed and most people can only access untreated water.

Food prices are skyrocketing and there are reports of families burning furniture, clothing and plastic to stay warm.

The UNHCR said that during the battle for eastern Mosul, the protection of civilians was prioritized in military planning and activities, and UNHCR hopes this principle will continue to be upheld.

However, the new battle will be different as the city's west is densely populated, with many narrow streets, and fighting will be street by street. Armed groups have built a network of tunnels.

Insecurity and recent suicide attacks in eastern Mosul have resulted in some families, who had opted to return to their homes, coming back to the camps in search of safety, the officials added.

The Iraqi security forces on Sunday announced the commencement of a new phase of offensive to drive out the extremist militants of Islamic State (IS) group from its major stronghold in the western side of Mosul, the Iraqi military said.

The Iraqi army, federal police and some paramilitary units of the Hashd Shaabi have started their advance in the early morning from south and west of the Mosul.

The troops, so far, have managed to retake control of a total of 17 villages as they were marching closer to the fringes of the western side of the city, according to a statement by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

The troops' advance toward Mosul came after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of an offensive to drive the extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul, locally known as the right bank of Tigris River which bisects the city.

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

However, the western side of Mosul appears to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces with its narrow streets and heavy population of between 750,000 and 800,000 people, according to the United Nations estimates.

Mosul, 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Endit