Number of people displaced by Mosul operation rises to 15,800, UN says

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 15,800 people are internally displaced in Iraq since Oct. 17 as a result of the ongoing Mosul operations, a UN spokesman told reporters here Thursday.

"The displacement figures are likely to continue to fluctuate as the front lines move," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "Some displaced families choose to return home quickly, once conditions in their home town or village allow."

"Humanitarian partners continue to provide assistance to families in their areas of displacement, as well as in the towns and villages around Mosul where access allows," the spokesman said.

Iraqi security forces recaptured more villages on Tuesday last week from the Islamic State (IS) militants, as part of a major offensive aimed at liberating the city of Mosul, the last major IS stronghold in Iraq.

Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when Iraqi government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions. Endit