Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Iraqi special forces are still at least six kilometers east Mosul and have faced stiff resistance, with ISIS firing mortars and machine guns and sending armored suicide truck bombs.

Iraqi forces approaching Mosul from the south, meanwhile, are still 35 kilometers from the city, and the special forces to the east said they will not push ahead until the other forces are able to tighten the noose.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces are recapturing territory as part of the offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria group.

The World Health Organization said that of the 700,000 people expected to flee Mosul, some 200,000 will require emergency health services, including more than 90,000 children needing vaccinations and 8,000 pregnant women.

The International Organization for Migration says around 9,000 people have fled so far.

* Al Arabiya