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THE GREAT FIRE OF MOSUL

ISIS thugs create toxic smoke cloud the size of LONDON as panicked jihadis torch oil wells while fleeing terror city Mosul

CLOUDS of toxic smoke are blocking out the sun as ISIS jihadis set fire to oil fields as they flee Mosul.

Babies are struggling to breath due to the fumes with charity Oxfam slamming the "smoke-filled hell" that families are being forced to live in.

The fires have caused severe health problems for people living in the area
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The fires have caused severe health problems for people living in the areaCredit: Reuters
A member of the Iraqi security forces looks at fire from oil wells set ablaze by Islamic State militants
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A member of the Iraqi security forces looks at fire from oil wells set ablaze by Islamic State militantsCredit: Reuters
Iraqi security forces walk as fire and smoke rises from oil wells
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Iraqi security forces walk as fire and smoke rises from oil wellsCredit: Reuters

Nineteen oil wells were set ablaze by the jihadis in the Qayarrah area, south of Mosul, after the radicals are pushed out of the city by Iraqi forces.

But the toxic smoke caused by the oil fires has left children covered in soot while those living near the oil fields have reported burning in their throat and lungs.

Concerns have also been raised that the people who lived through two years of trauma under ISIS control are now having to live without clean water, food and medicine.

Firefighters have tried to extinguish the flames but have struggled to gain control of the fire
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Firefighters have tried to extinguish the flames but have struggled to gain control of the fireCredit: Reuters
A woman looks at fire and smoke from oil wells on fire, with the flames leaving babies unable to breathe
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A woman looks at fire and smoke from oil wells on fire, with the flames leaving babies unable to breatheCredit: Reuters
A girl sits on an empty ammunition box near an Iraqi soldier at her house's garden during a fighting with Islamic State fighters
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A girl sits on an empty ammunition box near an Iraqi soldier at her house's garden during a fighting with Islamic State fightersCredit: Reuters

The problems come as satellite pictures reveal that ISIS fanatics are desperate not to let go of the city that was once their stronghold.

Aerial images of Mosul appear to show huge blockades in the streets, with the jihadis digging in their heels against Iraqi forces.

The images also appear to show parts of the city bulldozed with radical fighters using the tactic to fight off Iraqi forces.

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A 67-year-old man in Qayarrah said that burning oil wells were threatening the health of locals.

He said: "We need someone to put out the fires.

"They have been burning for several months now."

Oxfam's country director in Iraq Andres Gonzalez said: "Even after ISIS has left, many of the people living amid its trail of destruction have told us that life remains unbearable.

"Burning oil wells continue to spew out toxic fumes that burn people's throats and turn their communities into a smoke-filled hell.

"The Iraqi government needs to tell citizens what is being done to put out these fires and to avoid a potentially bigger crisis in Mosul."

Islamic State defensive preparations in the city of Mosul are pictured ahead an impending battle with Iraqi troops
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Islamic State defensive preparations in the city of Mosul are pictured ahead an impending battle with Iraqi troopsCredit: Reuters
ISIS fighters have been trying to keep ahold of Mosul against Iraqi forces coming in to free the city
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ISIS fighters have been trying to keep ahold of Mosul against Iraqi forces coming in to free the cityCredit: Reuters
An Iraqi boy holding a white flag stands on a truck heading to camps for displaced people
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An Iraqi boy holding a white flag stands on a truck heading to camps for displaced peopleCredit: Getty Images

Charity Oxfam has now called on the Iraqi government to extinguish the oil well fires, pushing for external forces to potentially assist the effort.

In a statement, Oxfam said: "With six oil fields surrounding Mosul still under ISIS control, the government must plan for a potentially bigger crisis involving more than a million civilians in Mosul."

The UN has previously warned of a possible humanitarian crisis that could unfold should the hundreds of thousands of locals in Mosul be forced to relocate during clashes between Iraq forces and ISIS.

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