Displaced up by 50 percent as military operations intensify to retake Iraq's Mosul

The average daily displacement numbers have increased by nearly 50 percent since military operations intensified to retake Mosul, Iraq, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday.

Citing the report of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said at a press briefing that military operations to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State have intensified since December 29, with the start of an apparent second phase to retake the city causing more than 13,000 people to flee the city in five days.

"The average daily displacement numbers have increased by nearly 50 percent since military operations intensified, from some 1,600 to more than 2,300 displaced per day. In total, nearly 130,000 people are now displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas," he said.

Humanitarian assistance continues to be distributed into newly accessible neighbourhoods in eastern Mosul city, he said, adding that over 1,000 cubic metres of water are being trucked daily and food and non-food items have reached people in four neighbourhoods which have not been serviced before by international humanitarian partners. Enditem