9,000-plus died in battle with Islamic State group in Iraq

The deaths are acknowledged neither by the coalition, the Iraqi government nor the Islamic State group's self-styled caliphate.

Members of Islamic State. | AP File Photo 

MOSUL: An Associated Press investigation has found that between 9,000 and 11,000 civilians died in the final battle to drive Islamic State extremists out of the Iraqi city of Mosul.

That's a civilian casualty rate nearly 10 times higher than what has been previously reported.

The deaths are acknowledged neither by the coalition, the Iraqi government nor the Islamic State group's self-styled caliphate.

Iraqi or coalition forces are responsible for at least 3,200 civilian deaths between October 2016 and the fall of IS in July 2017.

The AP investigation cross-referenced morgue lists and multiple databases from non-governmental organisations. Most of those victims are simply described as "crushed" in health ministry reports.

The coalition, which hasn't sent anyone into Mosul to investigate, acknowledges responsibility for only 326 of the deaths.

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