In Iraq, the United Nations warned Wednesday up to 20,000 civilians remain trapped in Mosul, as ISIS fighters battle to control their last stronghold in the city. U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq Lise Grande said civilians remain in “extreme danger,” adding that the destruction in western Mosul is unprecedented.
Lise Grande: “In western Mosul, what we’re seeing is the worst damage of the entire conflict. So, in those neighborhoods where the fighting has been the fiercest, we’re looking at levels of damage incomparable to anything else that has happened in Iraq so far.”
The U.N. warned the price of restoring basic infrastructure to Mosul will top $1 billion.