On October 26, the US-led anti-Daesh coalition attacked residential areas of the Iraqi town of Hamam Elil near Mosul; casualties among civilians were reported and a mosque was destroyed, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, chief of the Russian General Staff Main Operational Directorate, said at a press briefing.
"The US continues to conduct airstrikes on populated areas in Mosul and its suburbs and on towns in Nineveh province. On October 26, US Air Force aircraft conducted airstrikes on populated areas of Hamam Elil, located 20 kilometers southeast of Mosul," Rudskoy said.
Нанесение 24 октября самолетом ВВС США удара по Телль-Кайф: поражение наносилось близ здания школы,поврежденного осколками и ударной волной pic.twitter.com/r9SSv03Wse
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) November 3, 2016
"In the satellite image made on October 24 (in other words, made before the US-led coalition strike), you can see on the left the school building and homes, and on the right — after the airstrike. It is clear that the airstrikes were conducted near the school, which was damaged by shrapnel and shockwaves," he said.
Moreover, residential areas near Mosul came under US-led coalition fire on October 31, Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, chief of the Russian General Staff Main Operational Directorate, said.
"On October 31, populated areas located 14 and 9 kilometers east of Mosul suffered due to mass bombing by the US-led coalition. The residential district of one of Mosul's suburbs was severely destroyed by the US-led coalition airstrikes which preceded the Iraqi army offensive," he said.
31 октября бомбардировкам авиации коалиции подверглись кварталы н.п.#Гогиели: входу иракских войск предшествовали разрушения жилого сектора pic.twitter.com/UCvGUs9fvf
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) November 3, 2016
On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of a military operation to retake Mosul occupied by Daesh. According to local media, thousands of Iraqi soldiers, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shia militia troops are taking part in the operation, backed by the US-led international coalition's airstrikes.
