Dozens of Civilians Killed Trying to Flee Mosul Neighborhood

Dozens of dead civilians were found on the outskirts of one of the Islamic State’s last strongholds in Mosul on Saturday, apparently killed while trying to flee. The bodies were found near the Zanjili district, where Iraqi forces have been engaged in fierce battles with ISIS militants, Reuters reported. It was not immediately clear if they were executed or killed by mortar fire. Flocks of surviving civilians were also seen trying to make it past government lines as fighting continued in the area, with some people seen carrying dead bodies in blankets. Fighting has been ongoing in and around Mosul for eight months, but battles intensified in Zanjili after U.S.-backed Iraqi forces stepped up efforts to retake the area last weekend. In Syria, U.S.-backed forces were also preparing a major offensive against the terrorist group, with the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia saying on Saturday it would launch attacks to retake Raqqa in the next “few days.”