Iraq parliament speaker voices concern over Mosul air raid

Salim al-Jubouri on Saturday said in statements on social media that the deadly incident could not be tolerated under any circumstances.

"What's happening in west Mosul is extremely serious, security agencies must investigate the reason why hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed," Jubouri tweeted.

"We realise the huge responsibility the liberating forces shoulders and call on these honourable and righteous men to spare no effort to save civilians," he said.

Jubouri added that lawmakers will discuss the attack during their next session in parliament.

On March 13 and 17, two air raids struck homes in the Mosul al-Jadida district killing as many as 200 civilians.

It was unclear who carried out the airstrikes, but on Friday the US-led coalition against IS said it was investigating the allegations. Residents reported two airstrikes hitting a residential area on and 17.

The coalition, which has been bombing the extremists for more than two and a half years, said it had struck a location in west Mosul where civilians were reportedly killed.

"An initial review of strike data... indicates that, at the request of the Iraqi security forces, the coalition struck (IS) fighters and equipment, March 17, in west Mosul at the location corresponding to allegations of civilian casualties," it said in a statement.

The United Nations said it was "profoundly concerned" by the reported deaths from the Mosul air raids, and called for all parties to protect civilians during the battle.

Local media has posted images of mass burials in Mosul for the victims of the air raids.

More than 200,000 people have fled west Mosul since Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake it on February 19, an Iraqi ministry said on Saturday.

The UN said Thursday that around 600,000 people were left in west Mosul, 400,000 of them "trapped" in the Old City area under siege-like conditions.