82,000 Iraqi people displaced by Mosul offensive: UN spokesman

Current internal displacement in the context of the Mosul offensive now exceeds 82,000 people in Iraq, and the majority of this week's movement has come from Mosul city, with most families still moving eastward toward the camps in the Hasansham area, a UN spokesman told reporters here Tuesday.

"Clean drinking water, trauma care for civilian casualties and food shortages remain the priority humanitarian needs in newly-retaken areas, including eastern Mosul city," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"Safe drinking water is being provided to these communities through water trucking, and repair of water treatment plants is planned to ensure a sustainable supply of potable water in the longer term," he said.

"Health care centres near eastern Mosul are being supported with additional trauma care supplies and expertise," he said.

Since Oct. 17, 239,000 people have received emergency response packages containing food, water and hygiene items, while 224,000 people have received food rations to last one month.

Given the onset of winter, some 164,000 people have received basic household items and winterization kits, including blankets and thermal mats, he said.

On Oct. 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city, in a bid to liberate the northern Iraqi city, the last major Islamic State (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