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Iraqi Vice-President Osama Al-Nujaifi said that there was a "significant flaw" in the battle for Mosul and that there was "clear evidence that the airpower of the international coalition has been used in an exaggerated manner." Speaking on Al-Arabiya network on March 28, Al-Nujaifi accused the Iraqi government of a "great failure" in directing the battle and called for an investigation.
Osama Al-Nujaifi: "There is clear evidence of a significant flaw in the battle (for Mosul), which led to the killing of hundreds of civilians, who were buried under the rubble. It caused great destruction in the city, to the point that the civil defense authorities and the first responders were unable even to pull the bodies out of the rubble. This is in addition to the great number of displaced people. It points to the great failure of the Iraqi government in directing this battle. We must stop and reevaluate the situation. The people are more important than the city. The civilians must be saved. They should be made to feel that this battle is for their sake, because they are being held hostage by ISIS.
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"There is clear evidence that the airpower of the international coalition has been used in an exaggerated manner. There are eyewitnesses to this.
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"There used to be a rule that you cannot hit a place with heavy weaponry if there are civilians there. Instead, medium and light weapons should be used, just like the terrorists. Now, however, if a single terrorist sniper takes position on the roof of a home while 100 people are hiding in the basement – he is hit with a two-ton bomb. All those people are annihilated, along with 10-15 neighboring homes. This is what has changed. It indicated that there has been a decision by the international coalition to use excessive firepower, and the Iraqi government accepts this, one way or another, for political purposes or in order to expedite things. This must be investigated."
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