(VOVworld) - Nearly 42,000 people have fled their homes in Mosul city since Iraqi forces started their operation to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIS), said the International Organization for Migration on Wednesday.

Iraqi civilians returned home in Hamam al-Alil region, southern Mosul on November 7th, 2016. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

In October, Iraqi forces, aided by aircrafts of the US-led international anti-terrorism coalition, launched the largest military operation since 2003 to liberate Mosul, the second largest city and the last stronghold of ISIS in Iraq. About 30,000 Iraqi soldiers, Kurdish militants, and Sunni fighters have joined the operation.

The United Nations and other organizations have warned that the Mosul operation could trigger a severe humanitarian crisis, and that a million civilians could be displaced.