Thousands of Mosul civilians are fleeing into Syria as a huge U.S-supported military offensive approaches to try to wrest the city from Islamic State militants. Some Iraqi and Kurdish forces were as close as 12 miles.
Perhaps more concerning than displaced civilians, though, is what will happen to hundreds of thousands trapped in the city, some already reportedly being used as human shields.
Aid agency Save the Children said about 5,000 people have fled the city and crossed the border into neighboring Syria over the past 10 days, according to the BBC News, and arrived at the already overcrowded al-Hol refugee camp.
It's believed that some 1.5 million civilians remain in the city along with about 5,000 Islamic State fighters.
The commander of the US-led coalition against ISIS said it appeared that many of the militant group's leaders were fleeing the city. There have been conflicting reports on whether ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is in Mosul.
Some residents still in Mosul told Reuters the Islamic State was using civilians has human shields as Iraqi and Kurdish troops moved into surrounding villages.
Reuters said residents reached by phone told of more than 100 families being moved to the southern and eastern suburbs of Mosul and being exposed to the offensive.
Some fleeing residents were prevented from leaving, with ISIS forces directing them to buildings they once used, said Reuters.
"It's quite clear Daesh (Islamic State) has started to use civilians as human shields by allowing families to stay in buildings likely to be targeted by air strikes," Mosul resident Abu Mahir told Reuters.
Su'ad Jarbawi, Iraq director for Mercy Corps, a humanitarian aid agency, told NBC News the situation is likely to get worse.
"We are very worried about the safety of innocent civilians in Mosul city," Jarbawi said. "They will be in the middle of the battleground, and this is only the beginning of a larger humanitarian crisis."
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters that Iraqi and Kurdish forces know about ISIS plans to use Mosul residents as human shields, said Reuters.
"This has been going on for several weeks where we've seen civilians being forcibly detained and their movements being prevented where they can't get out of Mosul. They are being held there against their will," Davis told reporters.
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