The militant group has executed scores of civilians and deserters in and around Mosul, the UN said. Evidence has emerged of "large quantities" of ammonia and sulfur being stockpiled in civilian areas of Mosul.
Iraqi security forces have recaptured the town of Hammam al-Alil, the site of a mass grave in southern MosulImage: picture-alliance/dpa
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The so-called "Islamic State" (IS) militant group executed dozens more people in and around Mosul this week, UN human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said on Friday.
A mass grave containing more than 100 decapitated bodies discovered last week in the town of Hammam al-Alil was only one of several locations that the militant group used as its "killing grounds," Shamdasni said.
She noted that evidence of the "Islamic State's" uses of chemical weapons is beginning to surface, including reports of stockpiles in and around Mosul.
"In Mosul, reports indicate that large quantities of ammonia and sulfur have been stockpiled by ISIL and there are reports that these chemicals are being placed in the same locations as civilians," the UN spokeswoman said, referring to the organization under another name.
The operation to liberate Mosul from "Islamic State"
What has happened in Mosul since the operation to retake the city from the so-called "Islamic State" started in October?
Image: picture-alliance/Anadolu Agency/H. Baban
Iraqi army discover mass grave
While Iraqi troops advanced further into territory held by the so called “Islamic State” in their campaign to recapture Mosul, they found a mass grave which holds about 100
bodies, many of them decapitated. AP footage shows bones and decomposed bodies dug out of the ground by a bulldozer. This Iraqi federal police officer holds a stuffed animal he found on the site.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Evidence of brutality
The grave, found near the town of Hammam al-Alil near Mosul, proves to be a dark testimony to the „Islamic State’s“ brutality. IS militants have carried out a series of massacres since seizing large areas of southern and central Iraq in 2014. This photo shows a member of the Iraqi security forces inspecting a building that was used as a prison by Islamic State militants in Hammam al-Alil.
Image: Reuters/T. Al-Sudani
Freed from terror
These displaced Iraqi men from the Hammam al-Alil area celebrate their liberation as they return to their homes after the recapture of their village by Iraqi forces from Islamic State.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Al-Rubaye
Oil fields on fire
Oil wells have been set ablaze by IS in an apparent response to the ongoing military offensive to drive the extremist group out of its stronghold. A military commander said more than 5,000 civilians have been evacuated from eastern parts of Mosul and taken to camps. The surprise attack showed that even while under siege, the group could still sow chaos in parts of Iraq far from its base in Mosul.
Image: Reuters/A. Al-Marjani
What is the fight for Mosul all about?
Smoke rises during clashes between Peshmerga forces and IS militants in the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul. Initially used by the "IS" to establish their caliphate and henceforth the key source of prestige and resources, Mosul is also the base for IS’s chemical weapon operation. The ancient Assyrian city also has formed a vital source of tax revenue and forced labor.
Image: Reuters/A. Lashkari
The role of the Iraqi army and its allies
Iraqi special forces take cover as their unit comes under fire from an Islamic State sniper. Together with Kurdish Peshmerga and Shiite militias, Iraqi forces intensified fighting and moved into more densely populated areas of the city without air support from the US-led coalition due to the high-risk of civilian casualties.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Drobnjakovic)
Kurdish Peshmerga
Meanwhile, Kurdish peshmerga forces decided to focus on other strongholds of resistance in northern Iraq and on the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, where IS initiated a campaign of violence in response to the advances of the Iraqi army towards Mosul.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Dicenzo
Fleeing from the fighting
The United Nations says over 34,000 people have been displaced from Mosul since the operation began on October 17, with about three quarters settled in camps and the rest in host communities.
Image: REUTERS
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'Intolerable'
Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition, Kurdish peshmerga and Shiite militias, launched a campaign to liberate the country's third-largest city from the militant group's control.
Nearly 50,000 people have fled the city since the campaign began in October, according to UN figures.
The "Islamic State" rose to notoriety in 2013, when it occupied large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, culminating in its conquest of Mosul when Iraqi soldiers fled the city.
Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein called for "immediate action" from the government to protect civilians in the warzone.
"The extent of civilian suffering in Mosul and other ISIL-occupied areas in Iraq is numbing and intolerable," he said in a statement.
