Civilians trying to escape airstrike on the IS’s last held pockets in Mosul

Amidst airstrikes on the last pockets of territory held by the Islamic State group in Mosul, hundreds of civilians are fleeing. A large portion of them are badly injured and obviously they require quality medical attention.

Iraqi special forces Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi reported that the civilians — mostly women and children — are fleeing the city in waves of displacement as Iraqi forces push toward the Tigris River.

Iraq's special forces are now some 450 meters from the river's bank, al-Aridi said. He expects to reach the Tigris within days. After a strike, groups of civilians appeared covered in dust. Dozens were injured with what appeared to be shrapnel wounds. One woman collapsed trying to climb through a destroyed home, apparently suffering from dehydration.

Civilians are trapped in the Old City, where temperature has gone up to 45 degree Celsius. The temperature is expected to climb in coming days. Moreover, food as well as water shortage is a big problem for the civilians right now.

The United Nations estimates that tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped inside the Old City. Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the Old City in mid-June. After eight months of grueling battles to retake Mosul, the dense west Mosul neighborhood is IS' last stand in Iraq's second-largest city.
Iraq's Prime Minister declared an end to the IS' so-called caliphate in June after Iraqi forces retook the landmark al-Nuri mosque in the Old City and pledged victory was "near."