UN reports 17,000 people displaced from Iraq's Mosul over weekend
Xinhua, April 10, 2017 Adjust font size:
The displacement from Iraq's west Mosul continues to surge with some 17,000 people having fled the area over the weekend, said a spokesperson here on Monday.
UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing that over 280,000 people have been displaced from west Mosul since a military operation began in late February in the area.
He also said as a result of fighting in both east and west Mosul, a total of 352,000 people have been displaced.
Iraqi government forces launched an offensive on Feb. 19 to drive extremist militants out of west Mosul.
Mosul, 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq' s northern and western regions.
On Monday, Iraqi government forces announced that they have gained more ground in the area amid heavy clashes with the Islamic State (IS) militants. Endit