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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of civilians displaced from western Mosul in northern Iraq has risen sharply as the military operation has entered more densely populated areas of the city, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Tuesday.
Some 16,500 people have been displaced from western Mosul since the operations on the west began on Feb. 19 -- an increase of 12,700 people over the past two days, Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.
"This number is expected to increase significantly, as reports of large numbers of civilians on the move today are being verified."
Families displaced from western Mosul are moving primarily south to Hammam al Alil, where security screening is undertaken, then further south to displacement camps and emergency sites, the spokesman said.
"Emergency assistance is being provided to families as they reach camps and emergency sites, and emergency packages of food, water, hygiene items and blankets are provided to families as they reach the Hamam al Alil screening site," he said.
"As space in displacement camps fills up, humanitarian partners and national authorities are racing to prepare for new arrivals," he said, adding that currently, space is available to receive another 85,000 people, and work is ongoing to expand shelter capacities.
Overall, almost 177,000 people are currently displaced from Mosul and its surrounding areas, he said.
The troops' advance toward Mosul came after the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Feb. 19 the start of an offensive to drive the extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul.
Late in January, al-Abadi declared the liberation of the eastern side of Mosul after more than 100 days of fighting against the Islamic State (IS) militants.
However, the western side of Mosul, with its narrow streets and a heavy population between 750,000 and 800,000, appears to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces, according to the United Nations estimates.
Mosul, 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, after government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of part of Iraq's northern and western regions.
