Desperate families flee into war-torn Syria to escape Mosul fighting

Thousands of desperate Iraqis are fleeing to a filthy and overcrowded Syrian refugee camp in an effort to escape the Mosul offensive, according to Save the Children’s team on the ground in northeast Syria. About 5,000 people, mostly women and children, have arrived at the Al Hol camp from the Mosul area in the last ten days, and at least a thousand more are now massing at the border waiting to cross. Save the Children field staff who visited the camp last week spoke of dire conditions. The camp was littered with waste and faeces, with a looming risk of outbreaks of disease as a result. There were just 16 latrines shared by more than 9,000 people.