68,000 individuals have fled Iraq's Mosul as fighting rages: IOM

Some 68,100 individuals have fled the Iraqi city of Mosul since military operations to recapture one of the Islamic State (IS)'s last strongholds began on Oct. 17, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday.

"The number of displaced people continues to increase, even as we are seeing more people returning to their homes," IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Weiss said in a statement.

"Making sure displaced people as well as affected communities are receiving assistance is more critical than ever as temperatures are close to freezing at night," he added.

According to figures, some 6,120 individuals were forced to flee the center of Mosul on Nov. 19 as a result of indiscriminate shelling carried out by IS fighters.

A further 3,180 civilians were displaced on Nov. 18 and Nov. 21, with most internally displaced people arriving at Khazer M1 camp.

IOM revealed that around 78 percent of those recently displaced by Mosul operation are living in formal camps.

A further 16 percent have taken shelter in private settings, while 6 percent are in critical shelter arrangements and less that 1 percent are passing through screening sites.

Supported by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Iraqi troops kicked off operations last month to take back the city which fell into IS hands in June 2014 after government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.

International aircraft as well as Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition artillery units are supporting ground operations there.

According to reports, more than 5,000 IS militants were initially holed up in Mosul, though they are losing ground amid ongoing military operations.

The UN Refugee Agency had warned before the military campaign kicked off that as many as 1.2 million civilians could be displaced by fighting. Endit