435,000 people displaced from western Mosul since February: UN

Almost 435,000 people have been displaced from western Mosul of Iraq since the start of military operations on the western neighborhoods on Feb. 19, a UN spokesperson said Monday.

"Over 403,000 are currently displaced from western Mosul city, while some 31,000 people have been able to return to retaken parts of western Mosul city," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at the daily news briefing.

People who remain in IS-held parts of west Mosul "are facing serious shortages of almost all commodities," as commercial supplies to these areas have been cut since last November, said Dujarric.

Some cases of acute malnutrition are being seen in infants arriving with their families from western Mosul, said the spokesperson.

Families who remain in the retaken parts of west Mosul, and those who have returned to these areas, also rely on humanitarian assistance, as basic public services and market activity have yet to be restored, he said.

More than 95,000 people have received ready-to-eat food rations in all accessible neighborhoods of western Mosul city; over 70,000 have received 30-day dry food rations in at least 11 neighborhoods, the spokesperson added. Endit