Mosul latest death toll figures reveal A THOUSAND civilians have been killed in just a month as allied troops struggle to breach ISIS-held city
Many of the dead are believed to be children as barbaric terrorists use innocents as human sheilds
A THOUSAND civilians were killed just last month as the bloody battle for Mosul continues to intensify.
Allied troops including government forces, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and a US-led bombing fleet have so far struggled to release Iraq's northern city from the yoke of ISIS extremism.
A large number of the 926 innocent dead are thought to be children unable to flee for help from charities like The Sun-backed AMAR Foundation.
Jan Kubis, the top UN envoy in the country, said: "The casualty figures are staggering, with civilians accounting for a significant number of the victims".
The hefty civilian death toll is around a third of all those killed in the city in November, discounting ISIS losses.
As many as 1,959 pro-Iraqi solders were killed in the Mosul campaign last month, with 450 wounded.
It is believed the startling number of civilian deaths is down to barbaric ISIS fighters using innocents as human shields.
"[ISIS] has been employing the most vicious tactics, using civilian homes as firing positions as well as abducting and forcibly moving civilians", Kubis said.
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Wounded kids were pictured being rushed to safety from the war-ravaged city on Thursday as major storms heaped further misery on thousands of refugees.
More than 74,000 people have been forced to flee their homes during the offensive to retake the last major ISIS stronghold in Iraq.
Refugee kids have even been targeted by jihadi snipers as they attempt to run to safety.
“ISIS snipers killed 15 kids belonging to Mosul refugees who were heading to security forces,” an Iraqi security source told Alsumaria News on Thursday.
“ISIS gangs have used the most horrific means of killing with the migrating people of Mosul.
“They have been targeting them with IEDs, sniping their children to prevent them from leaving town and using them as human shields.”
The first sub-zero temperatures hit earlier this week and the UN warned on Wednesday that up to 500,000 children inside Mosul were facing a shortage of drinking water that will have a “catastrophic impact.”
Horrific pictures also recently emerged which show emaciated children arriving at refugee camps after fleeing the city.
Two skeletal boys – thought to be aged two and nine – were filmed by the BBC when they arrived at the Hasansham refugee camp.
But you can do your bit to help.
The Sun is running our Smiles at Christmas campaign to raise money for desperate children.
One of the worthy causes we are backing is The AMAR Foundation, which provides shelter and aid for Iraqi families fleeing from ISIS.
You can help bring a smile to the face of children in Mosul by donating at our JustGiving page .
Your donation – no matter how much you can spare – could help save the life of a youngster caught up in a conflict they know little about.
A £30 donation could feed a desperate family for one week.
But any amount will help give these war-scarred children a second chance at a happy life.
See below for the different ways you can help support the cause.
