"In terms of these siege-like conditions in western Mosul it means that electricity and water supplies are intermittent, electricity does come on and off we understand," Grande stated on Wednesday. "Food prices, here we do have much more precise information. We can share with you the following: the prices are skyrocketing since early December."
Grande clarified that UN agencies get their information from their partners and are not present on the ground themselves to verify it. According to the reports, some families cut down to one meal a day and the most destitute families have one meal every couple of days.
The UN official also said that the reason for such siege-like conditions in western Mosul is that "the main supply routes that ISIL [Daesh] was using to re-supply the city, those have been cut now and they have been cut for 6 weeks".
The operation to liberate Mosul from Daesh terrorists, outlawed in many countries, including Russia, began on October 17, 2016. Iraqi troops managed to advance in the eastern part of the city, but the western part — on the right bank of the Tigris River — remained under militant control.
