Iraq Hospital Full of Mosul Casualties

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) -- The main hospital treating trauma victims from the battle for Mosul is overflowing with civilian and military casualties, according to a doctor there.

Dr. Marwan Ghafuri of the West Irbil Hospital, the main triage center for trauma cases from the Mosul battle, said his facility is admitting up to 150 new patients per day

"The problem here is we have not enough beds in the emergency (room)," he said. "We have a lack of medications and the operating rooms are full. We cannot operate immediately on all the patients."

Ghafuri said he expects the influx of wounded to continue at the same level for the next three months as the Mosul operation continues.

The offensive to free Mosul of Islamic State militants is now in its second month, and progress has slowed as troops try to avoid mass civilian casualties. The military officially bans reporting on its numbers of killed and injured, although field medics have noted at least dozens of soldiers have died.

(KA)