Coalition Striking ISIS in Mosul, As the Group Uses Civilians for Cover

US and coalition aircraft continue to bombard ISIS targets inside Mosul, as reports mount of the group using human shields to protect themselves from airstrikes. US and coalition aircraft on Sunday conducted five strikes on ISIS in the city, hitting tactical units, supply routes, fighting positions, mortar teams, and a supply cache, among other targets. The strikes were a part of 51 total engagements by the coalition in Iraq and Syria on April 2, according to US Central Command. As many as 500,000 people are in Western Mosul and are reportedly being used as human shields to protect ISIS from coalition airpower. Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said during a briefing last week that ISIS is showing “inhumane tactics of terrorizing civilians, using human shields, and fighting from protected sites, such as schools, hospitals, religious sites, and civilian neighborhoods.” Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Baghdad on Monday to assess the campaign against ISIS. Dunford was accompanied in the visit by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and President Trump’s homeland security adviser Tom Bossert, according to the Defense Department.