Iraqi Forces Evacuate 1,000 Civilians From Mosul Front Lines

KHAZER, Iraq— 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 U.N. says militants have committed a number of atroc...

A member of Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces watches a truck carrying fleeing civilians drive off, as Iraq's elite counterterrorism forces fight against Islamic State militants, in the village of Tob Zawa, about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016. AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed

KHAZER, Iraq—Iraqi special forces have moved more than 1,000 people from villages near the front lines of the battle to retake the ISIS-held city of Mosul and surrounding areas, where the U.N. says militants have committed a number of atrocities in recent days, officials said Wednesday.

Special forces Maj. Gen. 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 says 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 ISIS to shuttle fighters and supplies by motorcycle, Maj. Salam al-Obeidi said.

Civilians wait for clashes to end to go to displaced people camps, in the village of Tob Zawa, about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) from Mosul, Iraq, on Oct. 25, 2016. AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed