In Iraq, special forces have moved over 1,000 people from villages near the front lines of the battle to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul and surrounding areas. Special forces Maj<br/>Gen. Haider Fadhil said, residents of Tob Zawa and other villages were taken to a camp in the nearby Khazer region for their safety. <br/><br/>The International Organisation for Migration says, at least 8,940 people have been displaced since the operation to retake Mosul began on the 17th of this month. The special forces are undertaking cleanup operations in areas retaken from the militants.<br/><br/>Iraqi forces have been pushing toward Mosul from several directions since the launch of the wide-scale offensive, which involves more than 25,000 Iraqi soldiers, Kurdish forces, Sunni tribal fighters and state-sanctioned Shiite militiamen.