Some 20 civilians, including children, were killed across Syria as the government continued to make gains. Hundreds of thousands are cornered by the fighting between rival factions in Aleppo.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Ourfalian
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At least twelve people, including seven children, were killed in Syria on Sunday as the government continued its relentless campaign to retake rebel-held parts of the country's northern Kurdish region. A further eight were killed in Aleppo province as airstrikes hit Kurdish targets throughout the day, according to Kurdish security forces.
The carnage faced by civilians in Syria continued throughout the day, with state news agency SANA reporting that four people, including two women and one child, were killed in the west of Aleppo as the siege of the city showed no signs of coming to a conclusion.
A renewed offensive by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to recapture Aleppo has trapped around 275,000 Syrians in the middle of warring factions with no food or medicine since July. Although Russia offered to halt its airstrikes to allow rebels, and therefore civilians, to leave Aleppo, the opposition forces have refused to budge.
A UN attempt to negotiate the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged parts of the city was similarly unsuccessful.
Government texts civilians to flee
Residents have been further bombarded with conflicting information about safe routes out of the city. Over the weekend, a text message warning to leave the city with 24 hours was sent around to inhabitants who were unable to verify its authenticity, followed by a second message threatening attack.
"Gunmen in east Aleppo, you have 24 hours only to take the decision to leave," the message said, then added "Those who want to save their lives must put down their weapons and their safety will be guaranteed. After the end of this period, the planned strategic offensive will begin."
The government has been known to drop leaflets and send text messages in order to communicate with the barricaded inhabitants of the city.
The Syrian conflict has claimed more than 300,000 lives since it began in March 2011. Many attempts at peace deals and ceasefires have fallen through, as the multi-sided nature of the conflict keeps it difficult for all belligerents to come to any agreement.
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.
