Although the Iraq government refuses to release figures, the number of casualties among Iraqi security personnel in the Mosul operation is believed to be quite high. Soldiers are reporting that the fighting is worse than they have encountered in other Iraqi cities. However, security forces have recently reduced the number of embedded journalists at the front lines perhaps to further mask the amount of bloodshed. Baghdad was incensed when the United Nations released figures on Dec. 1 suggesting that almost 2,000 personnel had died in November.
In order to placate the Iraqi government, the United Nations promised to alter their methods for counting casualties. Still, their ground team was able to record 700 civilian wounded, who were injured in attacks during the second week of December. That figure reflects a 30 percent increase from first week of the month.
Human Rights Watch announced that the non-governmental agency had evidence that Hashd al-Jabour tribal militiamen had executed four prisoners of war captured north of Mosul in Shayalat al-Imam.
At least 61 were killed and 42 were wounded:
In Mosul, four soldiers were killed while fighting in Intisar, while three were wounded in Wahda. At least 27 militants were killed.
A car bomb in Halabsa killed two people and wounded nine.
In Yankya, Salah ad Din province, a bomb killed two policemen and wounded three more.
One militiaman was killed and two were wounded in a bombing in Abu Saida.
in Baghdad A bomb in Maared Hubaibia killed one person and wounded three more. Another bomb killed one person and wounded three in Rashidiya. Five more were wounded in a blast in Iskan.
In southern Kirkuk province, militants executed a 15-year-old boy on charges of spying.
Two Hashd al-Shaabi militiamen were wounded in fighting in Hammoud Abdulaziz village.
An attack on security forces in Fatha left two militiamen wounded. Also, five militants were killed and 10 were wounded in the clashes.
An airstrike killed 12 militants in Julam.
Federal police killed five militants in Abu Saif.
