Starving Infant Found Alive Days After Bombing

Footage shot by Iraqi forces shows soldiers washing the dirt off the one-year-old boy, before holding his head up to pour water into his mouth.

As the child cries, a body covered in a blanket can be seen in the corner of the ruined classroom.

During the video, a soldier explains that the boy had not eaten for days and was discovered while an army regiment advanced into Mosul’s Old City.

The child’s mother and grandfather were among a number of people killed at the school in Bab Sinjar neighbourhood, he adds.

On Sunday, Iraqi forces launched an assault to reclaim the Old City, the only district still under control of Islamic State militants in Mosul.

US-backed Iraqi troops have been battling to capture the city for nine months.

Iraqi Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al Assadi said progress was slow but the battle “is going as planned”.

He said: “We have many obstacles – the nature of the land, the nature of the construction, the roads and the civilian population – all of which make us slow down our work.”

Troops have faced heavy sniper and mortar fire, while jihadists have also left a number of booby-traps in the streets of the Old City.

There are fears for the safety of more than 100,000 civilians believed to be trapped in the district, but Lt Gen al Assadi said hundreds have managed to escape and approach Iraqi troops.

As Iraqi troops launched their assault, soldiers parked Humvees by the Grand Mosque facing the Old City and mounted them with speakers.

Using the loudspeakers, soldiers told IS fighters: “You have only this choice: surrender or die”.