Dozens, possibly hundreds of people were killed in Mosul by an airstrike carried out by the forces of the international coalition led by the United States. There is no agreement among sources on the exact figures of the massacre, but the international press cites witnesses speaking of 240 bodies pulled from the rubble of several buildings struck by the raid. No independent verification has been carried out, however, so the death toll cannot be confirmed at this stage.

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"27 residential buildings hit, three of which razed to the ground"

What is clear is that the bombing took place on 19 March in the Al Jadidah neighbourhood, which has long been under the control of the Islamic State organisation's jihadists. A Mosul resident told the Associated Press of "at least 137 dead", stating that "the entire neighbourhood was fleeing because of the rain of missiles". The violence of the military action was reportedly confirmed by an Iraqi general, speaking anonymously, who said that 27 residential buildings had been damaged, three of which were completely destroyed. Officially, however, the Baghdad army denied any responsibility.

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Iraqi military denies that an airstrike caused massive civilian casualties in Mosul lat.ms/2nquPkg

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The international coalition acknowledged on Saturday 25 March that it had ordered an air operation, without specifying what the target had been. A spokesperson for the US command then pointed the finger at Isis "which uses civilians as human shields in besieged neighbourhoods".

The UN: no to indiscriminate use of force

Lise Grande, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, commented on the events by recalling that "international law on this point is clear: parties to a conflict are obliged to do everything possible to protect civilians. This means that they cannot be used as human shields, but also that military force must not be used indiscriminately." Iraq's Vice President, Osama Al-Nujaifi, announced that the matter would be examined by the United Nations Security Council (at Russia's request, according to the Moscow-based news agency Sputnik).

What is clear is that, as in all wars, the battle of Mosul is not sparing innocent lives. The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights reported 700 civilians killed since 19 February, that is, since the offensive was launched to seize the western portion of Mosul, where the Islamist defence has entrenched itself.

400,000 trapped in west Mosul

Currently, several hundred thousand people remain trapped in the neighbourhoods controlled by Isis. The NGO Save the Children spoke of 350,000 children for whom escape is now impossible, caught between the risk of summary executions and sniper fire. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees also stressed that 400,000 people are located in particular in the old city, a dense maze of narrow streets that has become the stronghold of Islamist fighters. This suggests the international coalition faces an especially long and difficult battle.

Despite this, the fate of Mosul's inhabitants appears to attract less attention than other situations. In an interview given to French radio station RFI, General Jean-Vincent Brisset, director of the Institute for International and Strategic Relations, admitted that "the difference in media coverage between Mosul and Aleppo is evident. Great indignation was raised over the Russians' operations", whereas now the attention seems less significant "even though in Iraq essentially the same things are being done".