Iraqi forces

At the end of December, more than 3.2 million displaced Iraqis had gone home while 2.6 millions still lived away

The areas were evacuated by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters before the arrival of the Iraqi forces

Iraqi troops and allied forces launched the operation overnight

The only area remaning under control of Islamic State now is a stretch alongside Iraq's western border with Syria

Operation came after IS released what it said was audio recording of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi urging resistance

Iraqi security forces are in the final stages of the gruelling battle to retake Mosul

The security forces are also conducting a major operation further north in Anbar aimed at retaking the last town

An estimated 400,000 civilians are believed to still be there, unwilling or unable to leave

Local residents said that IS used it as an execution site and a mass grave where they would dispose of victims

More than 20 people have been killed in the bomb blast

The pace of displacement accelerates as fighting approaches the most densely populated parts of western Mosul

Military says counter-terrorism forces manage to fully control the Ghozlani army base on Friday

They appeared to be part of a series of diversionary attacks by the ultra-hardline Sunni extremists

The offensive on Mosul is expected to become the biggest battle fought in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003

A car packed with explosive blew up in Baghdad al-Jadeeda killing at least 15 people and wounding over 50