1,000 evacuated from front lines
Iraqi special forces have moved more than 1,000 people from villages near the front lines of the battle to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul and surrounding areas, where the UN said militants have committed a number of atrocities in recent days, officials said on Wednesday.
Special forces Major General Haider Fadhil said residents of Tob Zawa and other villages were taken to a camp in the nearby Khazer region for their safety. The International Organization for Migration said at least 8,940 people have been displaced since the operation to retake Mosul began on Oct 17.
The special forces were undertaking cleanup operations in areas retaken from the militants to the east of the city, where troops uncovered a vast tunnel network used by IS to shuttle fighters and supplies by motorcycle, Major Salam al-Obeidi said.
