The Iraqi Air Force on Thursday air dropped four million letters to the long-suffering residents of Mosul, to encourage and support them while they await liberation from ISIS, as the operation to take Mosul enters its second month, the US-led coalition said in a statement.
The air drop is part of an initiative of The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) initiative, under the banner ‘Letters to Mosul’. IWPR digitally launched their campaign on Oct. 17, 2016, the same day as the operation to recapture the city of Mosul began. They photocopied and distributed 2,160 hand written letters to the people still held captive by ISIS, Ara news reports.
The letters of empathy and support for Mosul residents were written by Iraqis from all over the country. “This initiative by the people of Iraq reassures the residents of Mosul, held hostage by ISIS for more than two years, that they have not been forgotten and that the rest of Iraq is standing with them, waiting to welcome them back in solidarity when ISIS is defeated,” the coalition said.
The operations have been going on for more than two months to capture Iraq’s second largest city, which has been under ISIS control since June 2014.
