Alalam - Iraq

The ongoing operation to liberate Iraqi Mosul from ISIS forced over 13,000 people to flee the city in the last five days, UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a daily press statement.

"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that military operations to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS have intensified since 29 December, with the start of an apparent second phase to retake the city causing more than 13,000 people to flee the city in five days," Dujarric stated on Tuesday.

He added that the average daily displacement numbers have increased since the fighting intensified, Sputnik reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, US Department of Defense spokesman Peter Cook said that Iraqi military forces backed by the United States and its allies had retaken two-thirds of the city.

SA