[JURIST] Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Sunday that Iraqi forces, backed by the US, have begun their offensive push into the western sector of the city of Mosul, currently occupied by the Islamic State (IS). IS forces have been confined [Reuters report] to the region since last year’s offensive that forced the IS to abandon the eastern sector. An estimated 650,000 civilians still reside in IS-controlled Mosul. The IS reportedly had about 6,000 troops in Mosul before the push began, at least 1,000 of which were killed during the last offensive. The forces now face a coalition of several countries and Iraq’s estimated 100,000 ground troops. The coalition forces have dropped leaflets into western Mosul warning civilians of the upcoming charge and telling IS forces to surrender. Al-Abadi in his announcement urged armed forces to respect human rights and to care for those displaced by the fighting. About 160,000 civilians have been displaced since the last offensive, and that number is currently expected to rise by about 400,000.

Iraqi civilians have recently been victimized by the forces fighting in Iraq. The UN reported last month that 19,266 Iraqi civilian casualties occurred in 2016 [JURIST report], with 6,878 killed and 12,388 wounded. Since 2014, the IS has reportedly launched [JURIST report] over 19 chemical attacks against Mosul. In November, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called for immediate action [JURIST report] for the victims of the IS to ensure their rights are upheld in Iraq. In November, Amnesty International (AI) accused [JURIST report] Iraqi police force of torturing and unlawfully killing villagers near Mosul during last year’s offensive in the city. In October, AI accused Iraqi government forces of human right abuses [JURIST report], citing them as possible revenge killings.In September the UN reported that two-thirds of those injured or killed the prior month were civilians [JURIST report].