The Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF), backed by US and coalition forces, began an offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group (IS) in October. IS had been entrenched in Mosul for more than two years. The Iraqi government initially dropped leaflets over the city, asking residents to stay in their homes. Many people were caught in the crossfire, but some chose to escape. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that more than 96,800 people were displaced in Mosul between October and December, while around one million civilians remained trapped in the city, running low on food and drinking water and facing increasing retaliation by IS fighters. The Iraqi strategy of asking civilians to stay was aimed at averting a humanitarian crisis set off by hundreds of thousands fleeing, and at facilitating resistance to IS from within the city. As numbers caught up in the battle escalated, and fears of IS retaliation grew, many preferred to face the risks of leaving.

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