Shocking images of the ‘skeleton’ children fighting for life in the battlegrounds of Mosul

A SHOCKING video has revealed tear-jerking images of emaciated children fighting for life in the battlefront city of Mosul.

More than 1.5 million people are thought to be trapped as Iraqi army units shoot it out with ISIS militants on the ground.

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However, as the battle goes on to free the city from the jihadi warlords, it's the innocents who are paying the ultimate price.

Two skeletal boys – thought to be aged two and nine – were filmed by the BBC when they arrived at the Hasansham refugee camp.

Their mother told Radio 5 live: "It’s so difficult for me, for my husband, for them. I can see that they are dead already. I cannot believe that they are alive."

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Water supplies to about 650,000 residents of Mosul have been cut off after a pipeline was hit during fighting, a local official said on Tuesday.

"The maintenance team cannot reach the pipeline because it lies in an area being fought over,’" Hussam al-Abar, a member of the provincial council said.

The news is a blow to authorities hoping that residents will stay in Mosul while US-backed troops try to crush ISIS in northern Iraq’s largest city, which the militants seized in 2014.

"There is a big shortage of drinking water,’ Abar said. "We are facing a humanitarian catastrophe."

"Basic services such as water, electricity, health, food are non-existent (in Mosul)," he said, standing in an eastern suburb while mortars fired inside the city.

The UN agency for women and children, UNICEF, meanwhile said in a statement Wednesday that nearly half of all the children in Mosul and their families have reportedly been cut off from access to clean water and regular food supplies.

Iraqi authorities are currently trucking water from nearly 22 miles away into eastern Mosul, but it is not enough to meet the needs of residents.

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Now YOU have the chance to help those stricken in Iraq.

The Sun is supporting the AMAR Foundation, which works with the innocent children of Mosul to ensure they have access to clean food, water and shelter.

A generous £30 donation is enough to feed a family for one week.

However, any donation you can make – no matter how small – could help keep a child alive this Christmas.

To donate, visit The Sun’s Smiles at Christmas campaign page.

You can read about the the great work AMAR does in Iraq .

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Text: To give £2, text KIDS55 2 to 70070. You can change the amount to £3, £4, £5 or £10 by changing the last figure to 3, 4, 5 or 10.

Post: Send a cheque, made payable to JustGiving Foundation, to JustGiving The Sun Appeal, Bluefin Building 2nd Floor, London SE1 0TA

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You can donate new or used toys in good condition at 1,370 branches of McColl’s convenience stores.

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