Shops looted in 'liberated areas' in W. Mosul: Activist

By Sarhad Shakir

NINEVEH, Iraq

Stores were ransacked in a number of districts recently captured from Daesh terrorist group in western Mosul, according to an Iraqi rights activist.

Luqman Omar al-Taei said thieves had looted several shops in areas from where Daesh militants had withdrawn.

"They stole all goods inside these shops," he told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

Federal police officer Sabhan al-Shweili said a number of suspects had been detained in recent weeks.

"We need cooperation from the local residents to either report any stranger in their areas or form groups to secure their neighborhoods until security is restored," he said.

The police officer went on to stress that his forces "will not tolerate anyone who assaults private property".

Iraqi forces are currently engaged in a major offensive aimed at driving Daesh militants from western Mosul, the group's last stronghold in northern Iraq.

The offensive is part of military operations launched in October to oust the terrorist group from the entire city, which Daesh overran in 2014.