Jonah’s Tomb Captured in Mosul; 50 Killed in Iraq

As has occurred in other areas where security forces have battled the Islamic State militants, residents of Mosul have been forced to temporarily bury their dead in their own yards and nearby properties because of ongoing fighting. Once it is safe to travel, family members hope to transfer the burials to official cemeteries.

A Reuters cameraman witnessed military snipers shooting at Islamic State targets across the Tigris River in western Mosul. Once the eastern half of Mosul is secure, security personnel are expected to begin operations in the western half of the city.

Security forces captured the Nabi Yunus shrine in Mosul on Monday. The shrine, which is said to have contained the remains of the Biblical Jonah, was destroyed in 2014, shortly after militants captured it.

Materials discovered at Mosul University may be radioactive. If so, they may have been stolen from research facilities at the school.

In Hawija, 70,000 civilians are suffering shortages of basic needs such as food and water.

At least 50 were killed and 17 were wounded:

In Mosul, a suicide bomber killed 18 civilians. An Al-Hurra reporter and cameraman were injured when a Daesh drone dropped explosives on them. Security forces killed 25 militants in the north.

In Baghdad, a bomb in the Bakriya district killed two and wounded five more.

A new suicide attack on a Khalis checkpoint left one policeman dead and four wounded.

A bomb wounded four people in Madaen.

A tribal fighter was killed and two more were wounded by a blast in Tarmiya.

In Imam Weis, two militants were killed.

Author: Margaret Griffis

Margaret Griffis is a journalist from Miami Beach, Florida and has been covering Iraqi casualties for Antiwar.com since 2006.