A fleeing seven-year-old child was amongst dozens more civilians allegedly executed by the Islamic State group in Mosul in recent weeks, the UN said on Tuesday.
Since the battle to retake the last jihadist bastion in Iraq began six weeks ago, the United Nations rights office has reported hundreds of alleged execution-style killings by IS, stressing that some of the purported atrocities have not been definitively confirmed.
The most recent allegations include a November 22 killing of "a seven-year-old child who was running towards the Iraqi Security Forces in Adan neighbourhood in eastern Mosul", rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
That shooting was part of a reported trend of IS gunmen spraying fire on those trying to escape the strife-torn city, according to the rights office.
The UN has also received reports about a November 11 massacre in Mosul's eastern Bakir neighbourhood that saw 12 people reportedly shot dead for "refusing to allow (IS) to install and launch rockets from the rooftops of their houses", said Shamdasani.
She added that IS has apparently "been installing rocket launchers and placing snipers on the rooftops of civilian houses", in multiple locations, with consequences for residents who refuse to cooperate.
In a November 25 incident, 27 civilians were reportedly shot dead in Mosul's northern Muhandiseen Park, possibly for "leaking information" to the Iraqi Security Forces, Shamdasani said.
The rights office has said that its standard practice of verifying alleged atrocities through multiple sources has not always been possible amid the chaos in Mosul, but that its information has come from a range of reliable sources on the ground.
Status of main battle fronts in Iraq and Syria
Beirut (AFP) Nov 29, 2016 - Here are the latest developments on the main battle fronts in Iraq and Syria, as of 1500 GMT on Tuesday:
SYRIA
- Battle for Aleppo -
The United Nations said that up to 16,000 civilians have fled an army assault on rebel-held parts of Aleppo, many seeking refuge in government-controlled western Aleppo or Kurdish districts.
Syria's rebels have lost all of the northern districts of their stronghold in the city's east.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 10 civilians were killed in a strike in the Bab al-Nayrab district on Tuesday, while clashes continued in the Shaar and Tariq al-Bab neighbourhoods.
At least 250 civilians, including nearly 30 children, have been killed in east Aleppo since November 15, according to the Britain-based Observatory.
Another 27 civilians, among them 11 children, have been killed in rebel fire on western Aleppo, it says.
Syria's Al-Watan daily, which is close to the government, said the army had begun to push south after capturing the northeast of the city.
"If the army takes control of Tariq al-Bab, it will allow them to reach Shaar, which is one of the most important strongholds of Al-Nusra Front," it said, referring to Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate.
- Raqa -
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, is advancing in the desert as it tries to push closer to the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital of Raqa.
The SDF has been battling the jihadists to drive them from positions around 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of the city.
IRAQ
- Battle for Mosul -
Iraqi forces are battling IS deep in eastern Mosul, edging towards the Tigris river that divides the city, which is the jihadists' last major stronghold in Iraq.
Since the October 17 start of a broad offensive to retake Mosul, Iraqi forces have recaptured several eastern neighbourhoods despite fierce resistance.
Last week they were reported to be in control of 40 percent of eastern Mosul, although IS continues to attack government-held districts -- on Monday a group of jihadists infiltrated the Aden neighbourhood.
Iraqi forces are within 3 kilometres (2 miles) of Mosul airport immediately south of the city, but the southern and northern fronts have not moved in recent days.
Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitaries have reached the outskirts of Tal Afar town, west of Mosul. They said they retook more than 12 villages over the past five days.
Iraqi forces launched an offensive on Tuesday morning 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Mosul to seize IS-held territory east of Sharqat, a town they seized from the group in September. Military officials said government forces had taken six villages in the area.
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