Iraqi's
military said on Sunday 61 bodies had been recovered from a collapsed building
that was boobytrapped by Islamic State in Western Mosul, but there was no s
ign
it had been hit by a coalition strike though a large vehicle bomb was
discovered nearby.
The statement
was a response to reports by eyewitnesses and local officials that as many as
200 bodies had been pulled from a collapsed building after a coalition strike
last week targeted IS militants and equipment in al Jadida district area.
The incident
remains far from clear and details are difficult to confirm as Iraqi forces
battle with Islamic State to recapture the densely populated parts of the
western half of Mosul, the militant group's last stronghold in Iraq.
The US-led
coalition on Saturday said it carried out a strike on Islamic State militants
and equipment in the area of the reported deaths, but it was still
investigating. It did not give figures for any casualties or details on
targets.
The Iraqi
military command said eyewitnesses had told troops that the buildings were
boobytrapped and militants had forced residents inside basements to use them as
human shields. IS militants had also fired on troops from those houses, it
said.
But its
figures were lower than other local officials. A local municipal official said
on Saturday, 240 bodies had been pulled from the rubble. A local lawmaker and
two eyewitnesses say a coalition air strike may have targeted a large truck
bomb, triggering a blast that collapsed buildings.
The incident
has highlighted the complexity of fighting around Western Mosul's Old City,
where Islamic State are hiding among families and using the narrow streets and
alleys to their advantage, forcing Iraqi forces into street fighting.
*REUTERS*
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