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Kurdish forces on high alert after collapse of Iraqi army in Mosul Kurdish forces on alert as charities issue warning over Mosul exodus
(about 1 hour later)
On Wednesday morning, the Kurdish security forces were taking no chances at a new checkpoint on the road to Mosul just outside Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region. Several dozen uniformed and plain-clothes Asayish (security) officers were watching every move of anyone who arrived at the checkpoint. Less than an hour's drive to the west, militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) were in control of Mosul after security forces abandoned their positions on Tuesday. The exodus of tens of thousands of people from Mosul is "one of the largest and swiftest mass movements of people in the world in recent memory" and will require a rapid humanitarian response from the international community, a leading charity has warned.
Over the past two days, thousands of Mosul residents have fled the city in fear and headed to the relative safety of the Kurdistan region. "Suddenly the army withdrew and there was no army nor police, just the militants, we don't know where they are from, they are masked," said Abu Abdullah, a 55-year-old man who pointed to the clothes he was wearing, saying that they were all he took from his belongings in Mosul. As citizens fleeing the insurgent-controlled city jammed the road to Iraqi Kurdistan, Save the Children said that both those still in Mosul and those seeking sanctuary elsewhere faced a growing crisis.
More than 100 cars, mostly with Ninawa (the province of which Mosul is the capital) number plates, were parked outside the Kalak checkpoint waiting to go through the few layers of security that Kurdish security forces have set up. Just inside the parking areas, where several dozen people, including pregnant women and children, were queuing in the scorching heat, an old Kurdish man in his turban and baggy suit hugged a man in Arabic robes. "He is a friend from the old days, we did military service together in the 1970s and we have been friends ever since," said the Kurdish man, who had come to greet his friend and his family and offer support. The Arab man laughed and said sarcastically "we have come to Irbil for a picnic". "Massive traffic jams and blocked roads are seriously hindering access and movement of aid, as hundreds of thousands flee from the raging violence and chaos," said Save the Children's acting country director in Iraq, Aram Shakaram. "As an immediate emergency priority, we will distribute water, food and hygiene kits to people fleeing Mosul in coordination with local authorities and organisations responding to the crisis."
People were crouched in the scant shade cast by several cabins where the paperwork was processed. The Kurdish officers were on edge, some saying they had not slept for two days and questioning anyone who looked suspicious, including photographers. One plain-clothes officer who asked not to be named said the Kurdish officers at the checkpoint had seized a large number of guns from civilians heading to Kurdistan Regional Government-controlled areas (KRG). Shirzad, a taxi driver who has a relative in Mosul and who has been ferrying Iraqi army deserters from the checkpoint towards Kirkuk, says the price of guns has dropped dramatically because the fleeing soldiers were selling theirs. Shakaram said the NGO was extremely worried about how the Kurdistan region of Iraq – which is already home to more than 225,000 Syrian refugees – would cope with the huge influx of internally displaced people.
The sudden collapse of the Iraqi army in Mosul has put the Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, on high alert. The spokesman for the Peshmerga Ministry, Brigadier General Halgord Hekmat, told the Guardian on the phone that "the sudden collapse of the Iraqi army has left us with no option but to fill some areas with our forces because we can't have a security vacuum on our border". The spokesman said the Kurdish forces did not want to engage the militants of Isis because no political decision has been made between the political leaders in the KRG and Baghdad. "As terrified families and children flee violence in Mosul, we are witnessing one of the largest and swiftest mass movements of people in the world in recent memory," he said. "Reaching out to them is an immediate priority and we appeal to the international community to step up its funding to this growing crisis."
The KRG is planning to set up a camp for the refugees who are leaving Mosul, with the help of the UN. Since state security forces abandoned their positions in Mosul two days ago – leaving Iraq's second city to militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) – thousands of its residents have headed for the relative safety of the Kurdistan region.
As Abu Abdullah waited in his car with three other relatives to be let through the checkpoint, he said: "We don't know what is going to happen, our future is uncertain, we won't go back unless the security services return to their posts." By Wednesday morning, Kurdish security forces were taking no chances at a new checkpoint on the road just outside Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region. Several dozen uniformed and plain clothes asayish (security) officers scrutinised everyone who arrived at the checkpoint.
With the Isis militants firmly in control of Iraq's second largest city, which stands less than 100km from Irbil, the capital of Kurdistan Region, Kurdish people feel worried about the threats the militants pose. Last September, a series of explosions rocked the main headquarters of the Kurdish security forces in Irbil, killing at least six officers. Just inside the parking areas, where several dozen people including pregnant women and children were queuing in the scorching heat, an old Kurdish man in his turban and baggy suit hugged a man in Arabic robes. "He is a friend from the old days, we did military service together in the 1970s and we have been friends ever since," said the Kurdish man, who had come to greet his friend and his family and offer support. The Arab man laughed, adding: "We have come to Irbil for a picnic".
A 36-year-old trader from Mosul, who was waiting to be let through with a group of other men, said: "I think it will become like Syria because now the militants have entered the city, the army will come and there will be war." Others were crouched in the scant shade cast by several cabins where the paperwork was processed. The Kurdish officers – some of whom said they had not slept for two days – were on edge. One plain clothes officer, who asked not to be named, said Kurdish officers at the checkpoint had seized a large number of guns from civilians heading to Kurdistan regional government-controlled areas.
According to Shirzad, a taxi driver who has a relative in Mosul and who has been ferrying Iraqi army deserters from the checkpoint towards Kirkuk, the price of guns has dropped dramatically since the fleeing soldiers began selling theirs.
Abu Abdullah, who left Mosul with nothing but the clothes he was wearing, was one of the many waiting to go through the checkpoint. "We don't know what is going to happen, our future is uncertain, we won't go back unless the security services return to their posts," he said.
The Kurdistan regional government is planning to work with the UN to set up a camp for the displaced people fleeing Mosul.
Dan McNorton, a spokesman for the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said it was too early to know exactly how many people had fled Mosul. "We are considering this as an emergency and seeing a huge displacement of people," he said. "We're currently looking at what emergency relief is needed in terms of food, tents, and other assistance."
Saleh Dabbakeh, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Baghdad, said that although teams had already distributed cooking equipment to hundreds of Mosul residents, the humanitarian situation was far from clear.
Depending on who you listened to, he added, between half a million and a million people had already left Mosul. "It's simply too early to understand the magnitude of the operation, but our people are seeing thousands of cars heading from Mosul to Iraqi Kurdistan. This happened all of a sudden; yes, there has been fighting in the city for the last five or six days, but yesterday it all came down so fast it surprised everyone."
Dabbakeh also warned of the emergency facing those who had been unwilling or unable to leave Mosul. "There is also a problem with electricity there – and once there is a problem with electricity, it means you have a problem with water supplies. Hospitals so far have been able to deal with the situation, but there have been a large number of wounded civilians and non-civilians. It's a confusing and confused situation and it will take a few days before that clears up."