Thousands of people have fled Mosul as the operation to recapture the northern Iraqi city from the the so-called Islamic State continues.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Iraqi troops launched a multi-pronged offensive against the terror group on Monday and have reclaimed a dozen villages south and east of the city so far.

Save the Children have said thousands of people have made their way into refugee camps in a bid to escape, giving an indication of the growing humanitarian consequences of the attacks.

They said up to 5,000 people - mostly women and children - have arrived at the Al Hol camp from the Mosul area in the last 10 days, with 1,000 massing at the border waiting to cross.

However the commander for the Iraqi ground forces advised residents to stay in their homes as "we are coming for them".

General Riyad Shaker said: "My advice to all the civilians is to stay in their houses.

"They will be secured because we are coming for them. I am also urging them to rise up in these areas in Mosul as it happened in Qayara and Sherqat.

"There is a good and comprehensive plan for this [refugees], in fact there are several plans. There is a civilian plan, an evacuation and a medical plan. Regarding their evacuation, the army will receive them and we'll move them to safe areas that have been specified for them."

Mosul is the last bastion of IS in Iraq and the battle is expected to last several weeks or even months.