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Civilians displaced from western Mosul exceed 526,000: Ministry

 Civilians displaced from western Mosul exceed 526,000: Ministry

Displaced Iraqis wait to get food supplies as Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Displaced Iraqis wait to get food supplies as Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Number of the displaced residents from western Mosul have exceeded 526,000 persons since offensives started in February, according to the Ministry of Migration and Displacement.

“Number of civilians displaced from western Mosul are estimated at 526,233 residents since the beginning of operations to liberate the western side of Mosul,” Minister Jassem al-Jaff said in a statement on Friday. The displaced were distributed among the camps in south, west and east of Mosul.

“The number of displaced residents who returned back to their regions in eastern Mosul surpassed 90 percent out of the total number of eastern Mosul displaced residents, estimated at 176,000 persons,” the minister added. “62,000 displaced persons settled at districts of Hawija, Shirqat and Naheyat al-Alam over the past seven months.”

“Centers were established to record number of returnees to the freed regions,” the statement mentioned.

On Thursday, the United Nations said up to 200,000 more people could flee Mosul as fighting intensifies between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in the city.

“As military operations intensify and move closer to Mosul’s Old City area, we expect that up to 200,000 more people will flee,” Lise Grande, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq said in a statement.

The number of Iraqi refugees displaced in Mosul has reached 670.000 since battles broke out in October, the government said on Wednesday.

Eastern Mosul was liberated in January after three months of battles. In February, another offensive was launched to free the western flank of the city.

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