#MosulOp: Iraqi military 'extorting money, harassing front-line journalists'

Iraqi military commanders have been extorting money from journalists and hampering their coverage of the ongoing military advance on the jihadist-controlled city of Mosul.

Journalists and security sources have said that the Iraqi military leaders have been extorting money from media crews reporting on the battle to liberate Mosul from Islamic State group [IS] control.

Launched on Monday, the long-awaited advance on Mosul is making quick progress with Iraqi forces gearing up on Wednesday to retake the country's largest Christian town from IS.

"Iraqi security forces are extorting money off local and foreign satellite channels in exchange for film crews to be embedded with the troops on the front lines to film the ongoing fighting," Iraqi journalist Mustafa Naser wrote on Facebook.

Naser further claimed that on the other hand, Kurdish forces allowed camera crews freely accompany them along the front lines and that currently 47 Kurdish and foreign camera crews were embedded with them.

An Iraqi security source confirmed the reports, adding that the unauthorised extortion has angered many officers who believe that the media must be dealt with in a professional manner.

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"These mandatory payments are being imposed by some generals on journalists at a time when we need complete media coverage of Operation Mosul."

The Iraqi government and Shia militias it backs have been accused of war crimes and human rights violations, including the torture and execution of thousands of civilians who escaped areas controlled by IS.

Saudi Arabia has urged the Iraqi government to keep Shia militias out of the battle, fearing "mass atrocities" of Sunni civilians.

Media specialist Mazen al-Marsoumy told The New Arab Iraq correspondent, Ahmad al-Nuaimi, that the Iraqi military was actively trying to keep journalists away from the battle.

"The same thing happened in Tikrit, al-Ramadi and Fallujah; also many camera crews were threatened and prevented from covering the fighting".

"Journalists have told the prime minister he must ensure journalists are allowed to report freely with the Iraqi military just as Kurdish journalists have been allowed with the peshmerga," he added, in reference to the Iraqi Kurdish military force.