Civilians flee Mosul as fighting nears Iraqi city

World Today

Civilians flee Mosul as fighting nears Iraqi city

As the offensive to recapture the Iraqi city of Mosul continues, many civilians are fleeing the city.

This is despite the risk of being caught and killed by ISIL militants. Some have arrived at refugee camps.

CCTV’s Michal Bardavid reports.

The Debaga refugee camp south of Erbil which is one of the locations civilians fleeing ISIL have headed to and it’s now home to more than 30,000 people. Yet before refugees can settle there, a critical process takes place is screening.

ISIL militants are known to try and pose as civilians and they often shave their beard and change their clothes in hopes of blending in, therefore the process is crucial for security purposes.

Though civilians arriving there have endured harsh conditions to flee and find safety – most of them do not mind the questioning, on the contrary, they support it.

The civilians who have managed to flee have escaped potential execution by ISIL – yet thousands still remain under the control of the terrorist organization in Mosul, at least for now.