MAUERBACH (Sputnik) — On Sunday, fighters of the anti-terrorist unit of the Iraqi armed forces raised a national flag on the banks of the Tigris River in the historical part of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi arrived in the city to declare its liberation from the Daesh terrorist group (banned in numerous countries, including Russia).
"The number of refugees from Mosul – around a million, some say 1.2 million – is several times more than the number of people that left East Aleppo through corridors created especially for that purpose. In Mosul, no conditions were created to allow civilians leave in an organized way. It was all chaotic, spontaneous. Obviously, when it happens in such an unorganized manner, it adds inconvenience, and probably the number of victims increases," Lavrov told reporters.
Lavrov also reminded about the media reports, according to which Mosul is almost completely destroyed.
"Of course, we are glad that the IS [Daesh] will be defeated, but the price for the victory over terrorism may be high in any case," Lavrov said.
Mosul fell under the control of terrorists in 2014 and was since then the Daesh key stronghold in Iraq. The operation to recapture the city was launched in October 2016 by the Iraqi troops backed by the US-led international coalition. The eastern part of the city was liberated in January.
