Iraq's offensive to retake the jihadist bastion of Fallujah has displaced 43,000 people in just over three weeks, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.
Iraqi forces on Monday said jihadist fighters were attempting to flee Fallujah by blending in with civilians who have used recently opened corridors to escape the besieged the city.
Fighters from the Islamic State group killed at least 18 members of two families as they attempted to flee the besieged jihadist bastion of Fallujah, relatives said on Sunday.
Iraqi troops advanced against Islamic State south of Mosul on Sunday as the US-led coalition intensifies its campaign against the militants on multiple fronts across their self-proclaimed caliphate.
Iraqi government forces fighting to retake Fallujah from the Islamic State group seized a southern neighbourhood of the city on Wednesday, officials said.
Iraqi forces gained new ground from the Islamic State group on Saturday in a key area west of the jihadist bastion of Fallujah, security sources said.
Iraqi forces thrust into the city of Fallujah from three directions on Monday marking a new and perilous urban phase in the week-old operation to retake the jihadist bastion.
A top ISIS commander in the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah is among 70 militants killed in coalition air strikes, the US military said.
Deadly clashes erupted between Iraqi tribesmen and the Islamic State group inside jihadist bastion Fallujah on Friday, a sign their longstanding hold on the city west of Baghdad is weakening.
