Safeguarding the lives of civilians in the battle to liberate Mosul is of paramount importance to the Iraqi forces, who are demonstrating extreme caution and discipline in order to avoid endangering noncombatants, officials tell Diyaruna.

Local residents who spoke with Diyaruna praised the professionalism of the Iraqi forces and their ability to fight on various fronts to restore areas from the control of the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL).

The Iraqi forces have been "highly humanitarian and committed to military principles and ethics", said Bilal Abdullah, a resident of Mosul's Intissar neighbourhood, which was liberated in November.

"The conduct of the Iraqi soldiers is second to none," he told Diyaruna, noting that soldiers would not respond to ISIL sources of fire from inside private homes out of concern for the safety of residents.

"They were successful in drawing ISIL elements into the streets and alleys to kill them, without causing any civilian losses," he added.

"When our neighbourhood was liberated, we went out of our homes and received our heroic soldiers with kisses and ululations," Abdullah said. "It was the most beautiful thing I have experienced in my whole life."

"Today, the army is providing food and water to us, in addition to providing medical aid to residents who are sick or injured due to the fighting," he said. "Our happiness with the liberation is indescribable."

High level of trust for Iraqi forces

During his daily meetings with residents of liberated areas in Mosul, Ninawa provincial council member Hussam Eddin al-Abbar said, he has seen "positive interaction and high level of trust between citizens and their security forces".

"Before the start of the liberation battles, ISIL tried with all its media tools to create fear among the people," he told Diyaruna.

"But the truth was that residents were waiting to be saved from the brutality of the terrorists," he said, adding that their confidence in the Iraqi forces was strengthened when they saw their high level of discipline and commitment to their safety.

"The soldiers did not hesitate for one moment to sacrifice themselves so as not to hurt any citizen or family, and they share their rations of food and drinks with the residents, racing to the rescue of the injured," he said. "This is what I saw myself."

The liberating forces are proceeding with caution, he added, as they want their fight to be clean, without civilian victims.

"In spite of that, our forces were able to gain big victories by clearing most of the neighbourhoods in the left bank of Mosul, which were described as flashpoint areas even before the invasion of ISIL," he said.

Military and humanitarian duties

Military units in Mosul are not only fulfilling military duties but also offering humanitarian assistance, deputy governor of Ninawa Hassan Allaf told Diyaruna.

"Today, soldiers are responsible for confronting ISIL gangs and at the same time protecting and assisting residents in addition to the relief and evacuation of the wounded," he said.

The liberating forces are directing a large part of their energies towards humanitarian purposes and to serve the civilian population, he noted.

"They are currently working with us as a local government and with civil society organisations to provide drinking water to the population after ISIL shut down the water project that was providing for the neighbourhoods in the left bank ," he said.

"Our forces have proven their efficiency and ability to carry all the burdens and challenges," he added. "The message to the people is that they came to eliminate ISIL and rid them of its evil."

Iraqi forces are engaged in the battle to liberate Mosul with a high level of professionalism while observing human rights, Ninawa Operations Command spokesman Brig. Gen. Firas Bashar Sabri told Diyaruna.

This is evidenced by the testimony of international human rights organisations and the media, he said.

A national and moral obligation

"Our troops are well trained on the arts of combat and urban warfare in addition to how to help, provide relief for and rescue civilian victims," Sabri said. "It is a national and moral obligation stressed by all the military authorities."

Soldiers have had to deal with many situations where humanitarian assistance is required, he added, including a case in which an officer delivered the baby of a woman who went into labour while the army was trying to save her from ISIL.

"God destined safety for the mother and her newborn," he said.

"In another situation we intercepted a call over the radio by two suicide bombers who were holding a family and intended to blow themselves up amid them if trapped by the army," he said.

"Four soldiers immediately headed to the location, engaged the two suicide bombers with heavy fire and rescued the beleaguered family," he added.

"There are countless stories that show the professionalism and courage of our troops, in addition to their commitment to humanitarian controls," Sabri said.