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Chilling footage captured in Mosul appears to show an ISIS terrorist using a child as a human shield in a bid to walk through the streets.

The dramatic scenes were captured by a drone flying over western Mosul where almost 4,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed since February.

It is believed that 1,000 people have been killed in March by US airstrikes alone, according to Al-Masdar News .

In the footage, the soldier drags the child along with him as he attempts to cross roads and walk through streets in the middle of the battle.

The Iraqi drone shows the two make a run for it, exiting one building and quickly crossing the road to a second property.

Both the man and the child then appear to make their way down a side street, still walking directly alongside each other.

It is not clear what happened to the man or the child after the Iraqi drone footage cuts off.

The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights claimed earlier this week the terror group has kidnapped almost 200 children to use as human shields.

Hundreds of civilians in Mosul have also been killed by air strikes after the Iraq government repeatedly told them to stay in the city as forces fought to recapture it from the Islamic State.

Survivors and eyewitnesses said they didn’t try to flee as the battle got underway because they received instructions to remain in their homes.

A recent shocking increase in civilian casualties from US-led coalition airstrikes and ground fighting between the Iraqi military and ISIS fighters has led to serious questions about the lawfulness of these attacks, human right charity Amnesty International said.

In one of the deadliest coalition strikes, at least 150 people were reportedly killed in the Jadida neighbourhood of west Mosul on 17 March.