At least 741 civilians died in “execution-style killings” by Islamic State militants during the battle for the Iraqi city of Mosul, the UN says.
The UN says another 461 civilians died a result of Iraqi military and US-led coalition air strikes during the most intensive phase of the battle, which lasted from November 2016 to July 2017.
In total, at least 2,521 civilians were killed and another 1,673 were wounded during the military operation, mostly as a result of IS attacks, according to the report published on Thursday by UN Assistance Mission for Iraq and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
It says that early in November 2016, in areas of Mosul under IS control, members of the group used loudspeakers to announce that residents of areas retaken by Iraqi security forces were considered as “legitimate targets” because of their “failure” to fight troops.
The report calls on the international community to take action to ensure that those responsible for “international crimes” such as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are held accountable, and urges Iraq to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
UCJ, UNILORIN.