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| At Site of Deaths, Our Reporters Find Cost of U.S.-ISIS Battle | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| MOSUL, Iraq — Dozens of Iraqi civilians, some of them still alive and calling out for help, were buried for days under the rubble of their homes in west Mosul after American-led airstrikes flattened almost an entire city block. | |
| At the site on Sunday, more than a week after the bombing runs, reporters for The New York Times saw weary survivors trying to find bodies in the wreckage. Iraqi officials said the final death toll could reach 200 killed, or even more. That would make it one of the worst instances of civilian casualties from an attack by the United States-led forces during the long military involvement with Iraq, starting in 1990. | |
| The pace of fighting against the Islamic State here has grown more urgent, with Iraqi officers saying the American-led coalition has been quicker to strike urban targets from the air with less time to weigh the risks for civilians. They say the change is a reflection of a renewed push by the American military under the Trump administration to speed up the battle for Mosul. | |
| That push is coming at the moment that the battle for Mosul is nearing its most dangerous phase for civilians, with the fight reaching into the twisting alleys and densely populated areas of the old city. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are pinned down here in tight quarters with Islamic State fighters who do not care if they live or die. | |
| At the same time, more American Special Operations troops, some dressed in the black uniforms and driving black vehicles — the colors of their Iraqi counterparts — are closer to the front lines. That way, in theory, the targeting of Islamic State fighters should become more precise for the coalition. Another 200 American soldiers, from the 82nd Airborne Division, are heading to Iraq to support that battle over the next few days. | |
| Many Iraqi commanders welcome the more aggressive American role, saying that under the Obama administration coalition officers were too risk averse. Iraqis also say fighting for the dense, urban spaces of western Mosul requires more airpower, even if that means more civilians will die. | |
| When those decisions turn tragic, it looks like this: a panorama of destruction in the neighborhood of Mosul Jidideh so vast one resident compared the destruction to that of Hiroshima, Japan, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in World War II. There was a charred arm, wrapped in a piece of red fabric, poking from the rubble; rescue workers in red jump suits and face masks, to avoid the stench, some with rifles slung over their shoulders, searching the wreckage for bodies. | When those decisions turn tragic, it looks like this: a panorama of destruction in the neighborhood of Mosul Jidideh so vast one resident compared the destruction to that of Hiroshima, Japan, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in World War II. There was a charred arm, wrapped in a piece of red fabric, poking from the rubble; rescue workers in red jump suits and face masks, to avoid the stench, some with rifles slung over their shoulders, searching the wreckage for bodies. |
| One of the survivors, Omar Adnan, stood near his destroyed home on Sunday and held up a white sheet of paper with 27 names of his extended family members, either dead or missing, written in blue ink. | One of the survivors, Omar Adnan, stood near his destroyed home on Sunday and held up a white sheet of paper with 27 names of his extended family members, either dead or missing, written in blue ink. |
| Nearby were two men, and one of them, Ashraf Mohammed, said, “I lost all of my family except this guy, my brother.” | Nearby were two men, and one of them, Ashraf Mohammed, said, “I lost all of my family except this guy, my brother.” |
| The civilian deaths have not been limited to the battle for Mosul, which is about 220 miles north of Baghdad. Across large swaths of Syria and Iraq, more American ground troops, and more American airstrikes, are being committed to the fight. In Syria, the battle has intensified in large part around Raqqa, the Islamic State’s declared capital. The campaigns in both countries intend to deprive the Islamic State of its biggest cities, while keeping pressure on the group across its holdings. | The civilian deaths have not been limited to the battle for Mosul, which is about 220 miles north of Baghdad. Across large swaths of Syria and Iraq, more American ground troops, and more American airstrikes, are being committed to the fight. In Syria, the battle has intensified in large part around Raqqa, the Islamic State’s declared capital. The campaigns in both countries intend to deprive the Islamic State of its biggest cities, while keeping pressure on the group across its holdings. |
| Allegations of civilian casualties in both countries from American-led airstrikes have increased so much in recent months that, for the first time, the number of coalition strikes affecting civilians have surpassed those carried out by Russia in Syria, according to Airwars, a monitoring organization based in London that tracks international airstrikes and their effect on civilians. | Allegations of civilian casualties in both countries from American-led airstrikes have increased so much in recent months that, for the first time, the number of coalition strikes affecting civilians have surpassed those carried out by Russia in Syria, according to Airwars, a monitoring organization based in London that tracks international airstrikes and their effect on civilians. |
| The group said the increase in reported civilian deaths began under President Obama and accelerated once President Trump took office in January. | The group said the increase in reported civilian deaths began under President Obama and accelerated once President Trump took office in January. |
| Together, the intensified American involvement in the fight against the Islamic State has raised questions about whether the Trump administration has relaxed procedures that are meant to keep civilian casualties at a minimum. | Together, the intensified American involvement in the fight against the Islamic State has raised questions about whether the Trump administration has relaxed procedures that are meant to keep civilian casualties at a minimum. |
| The American-led coalition, which has confirmed it carried out a strike in Mosul Jidideh on March 17 and is investigating whether it is to blame for the deaths there, has insisted that there have been no changes to its rules of engagement. American officials say they are doing everything they can to protect civilian lives while pushing the fight in Mosul. | |
| Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday that military leaders “are keenly aware that every battlefield where an enemy hides behind women and children” could lead to civilian casualties. “We go out of our way to always do everything humanly possible to reduce loss of life or injury among innocent people.” | |
| Defense Department officials maintain that the reason for the increased reports of civilian casualties in recent months is likely because the American-led coalition has stepped up operations in support of Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian forces on the ground. Beginning in December, as Iraqi forces began to move into Mosul, American advisers were given more authority to call in airstrikes, making for a more streamlined process that meant many strikes could be called in without going through headquarters. | |
| The east side of Mosul, a city of 1.8 million that is Iraq’s second-largest, was mostly secured by Iraqi forces in January, with much of it remaining intact and with everyday life resuming. But on the west, the fight has become more brutal, with sections that look like moonscapes. | |
| Maj. Gen. Maan al-Saadi, an Iraqi special forces commander who said his men called in the American airstrikes that caused the civilian deaths, spoke about the victims: “We feel sad for them.” | Maj. Gen. Maan al-Saadi, an Iraqi special forces commander who said his men called in the American airstrikes that caused the civilian deaths, spoke about the victims: “We feel sad for them.” |
| But he called the incident an unfortunate outcome in a nasty war. He said Iraqi forces had lost thousands of men fighting the Islamic State, and that to lose so many civilians in a single incident, “in return for liberating the entire city of Mosul, I think it is a normal thing.” | But he called the incident an unfortunate outcome in a nasty war. He said Iraqi forces had lost thousands of men fighting the Islamic State, and that to lose so many civilians in a single incident, “in return for liberating the entire city of Mosul, I think it is a normal thing.” |
| “This is a war and mistakes can happen and there can be losses,” he said. “But we are fighting the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world, with huge, unprecedented support from the international coalition.” | “This is a war and mistakes can happen and there can be losses,” he said. “But we are fighting the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world, with huge, unprecedented support from the international coalition.” |
| Gen. Ali Jamil, an intelligence officer with the Iraqi special forces, said he had been fighting the Islamic State for more than two years, with the support of American airpower. | Gen. Ali Jamil, an intelligence officer with the Iraqi special forces, said he had been fighting the Islamic State for more than two years, with the support of American airpower. |
| “I have not seen such a quick response with high coordination from the coalition as I am seeing now,” he said. Before when Iraqis requested airstrikes, he said, “there used to be a delay, or no response sometimes, on the excuse of checking the location or looking for civilians.” | “I have not seen such a quick response with high coordination from the coalition as I am seeing now,” he said. Before when Iraqis requested airstrikes, he said, “there used to be a delay, or no response sometimes, on the excuse of checking the location or looking for civilians.” |
| On Sunday, a bulldozer pushed debris so rescuers could reach bodies. When one body was found, a man nearby identified it as that of his nephew and another man wrote his name down in a leather-bound notebook. The body was then zipped up in a blue plastic bag and placed inside a garage alongside others. Many of the dead had already been buried in the gardens of homes that were only partially destroyed. | On Sunday, a bulldozer pushed debris so rescuers could reach bodies. When one body was found, a man nearby identified it as that of his nephew and another man wrote his name down in a leather-bound notebook. The body was then zipped up in a blue plastic bag and placed inside a garage alongside others. Many of the dead had already been buried in the gardens of homes that were only partially destroyed. |
| Residents who were in the neighborhood during the fighting suggested there was every reason to believe the area was filled with civilians at the time of the airstrikes — especially because the Iraqi government and its American allies dropped leaflets asking civilians to remain in their homes rather than risk fleeing into the middle of the battle. | Residents who were in the neighborhood during the fighting suggested there was every reason to believe the area was filled with civilians at the time of the airstrikes — especially because the Iraqi government and its American allies dropped leaflets asking civilians to remain in their homes rather than risk fleeing into the middle of the battle. |
| But the battle has come to them now. | But the battle has come to them now. |
| As the fight for this west Mosul neighborhood raged 10 days ago, Islamic State fighters were dashing between homes across courtyards, passing through holes punched in concrete walls that allowed them to move their positions without showing themselves on the streets. Advancing Iraqi soldiers, who called in the airstrikes, were in earshot of civilians. | As the fight for this west Mosul neighborhood raged 10 days ago, Islamic State fighters were dashing between homes across courtyards, passing through holes punched in concrete walls that allowed them to move their positions without showing themselves on the streets. Advancing Iraqi soldiers, who called in the airstrikes, were in earshot of civilians. |
| “They were very close,” said Mubishar Thanoon, a resident in his late 30s, standing on Sunday at the bedside of his brother, who was wounded in the attack, at a hospital in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region. “I was hearing their voices. They knew exactly that we were there.” | “They were very close,” said Mubishar Thanoon, a resident in his late 30s, standing on Sunday at the bedside of his brother, who was wounded in the attack, at a hospital in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region. “I was hearing their voices. They knew exactly that we were there.” |
| Another man, Ziad Suleyman, 27, said he could see an Iraqi special forces sniper on a nearby building, who was wearing a baseball cap and ear muffs and communicated with him using hand signals. “He was waving to me,” said Mr. Suleyman, also at the Erbil hospital, where he was visiting a wounded relative. “I was seeing him, he was seeing us.” | Another man, Ziad Suleyman, 27, said he could see an Iraqi special forces sniper on a nearby building, who was wearing a baseball cap and ear muffs and communicated with him using hand signals. “He was waving to me,” said Mr. Suleyman, also at the Erbil hospital, where he was visiting a wounded relative. “I was seeing him, he was seeing us.” |
| Residents and Iraqi officers said that Islamic State fighters, some speaking Russian, according to residents, had taken sniper positions on the rooftops of homes, pinning down some advancing Iraqi forces. Hundreds of residents, trying to escape indiscriminate artillery and rocket fire and fearful of airstrikes, took refuge in basements. | |
| It was there that they died, from airstrikes targeting the snipers that caused entire buildings to collapse, survivors recounted. | It was there that they died, from airstrikes targeting the snipers that caused entire buildings to collapse, survivors recounted. |
| “Not all of the houses had Daesh on the roof,” said Ali Adbulghani, a resident of the neighborhood, referring to another name for Islamic State fighters. “Why, just because of one Daesh, kill everyone?” | “Not all of the houses had Daesh on the roof,” said Ali Adbulghani, a resident of the neighborhood, referring to another name for Islamic State fighters. “Why, just because of one Daesh, kill everyone?” |
| American military officials have said that their investigation so far has found that one building collapsed days after the strikes in the neighborhood, raising the possibility that the Islamic State blew up the building after the bombing runs, killing many civilians. | American military officials have said that their investigation so far has found that one building collapsed days after the strikes in the neighborhood, raising the possibility that the Islamic State blew up the building after the bombing runs, killing many civilians. |
| In interviews, survivors and local residents dismissed that, saying airstrikes brought the buildings down. Survivors and Iraqi officers say that fighting raged in the neighborhood for days after the strikes, delaying the arrival of rescuers. | In interviews, survivors and local residents dismissed that, saying airstrikes brought the buildings down. Survivors and Iraqi officers say that fighting raged in the neighborhood for days after the strikes, delaying the arrival of rescuers. |
| A few among the lucky are now lying, injured but alive, in hospital beds in Erbil, about 50 miles east of Mosul. | A few among the lucky are now lying, injured but alive, in hospital beds in Erbil, about 50 miles east of Mosul. |
| Mr. Thannon’s brother, Ali, was one of them. He survived days under the wreckage, emerging with a broken arm and many cuts and bruises. He recalled lying under the rubble never thinking he would die there, and speaking to another man nearby, who died there. | Mr. Thannon’s brother, Ali, was one of them. He survived days under the wreckage, emerging with a broken arm and many cuts and bruises. He recalled lying under the rubble never thinking he would die there, and speaking to another man nearby, who died there. |
| “It was a conversation between two dying men,” he said. | “It was a conversation between two dying men,” he said. |
| He said he had hid in a basement not because Islamic State fighters forced him to, but because of the “terror and fear” of artillery and airstrikes. | He said he had hid in a basement not because Islamic State fighters forced him to, but because of the “terror and fear” of artillery and airstrikes. |
| “For me and my family, we thought this was the safest place,” he said. | “For me and my family, we thought this was the safest place,” he said. |
| When asked what happened to his family, Ali’s brother quickly changed the subject. | When asked what happened to his family, Ali’s brother quickly changed the subject. |
| A few moments later, in the hallway outside the room, Mr. Thannon confided that he had not yet told his brother, who he said was delirious from his ordeal and from painkillers, that his family — his two wives, four daughters, two sons and two grandchildren — had all been killed. | A few moments later, in the hallway outside the room, Mr. Thannon confided that he had not yet told his brother, who he said was delirious from his ordeal and from painkillers, that his family — his two wives, four daughters, two sons and two grandchildren — had all been killed. |