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Fearful residents flee western Mosul

By Kareem Khadder, CNN

Updated 2:01 PM ET, Sat March 4, 2017

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A woman from western Mosul carries her child and the few possessions she could gather before escaping the city. By Saturday, the Iraqi government estimated that nearly 50,000 people had fled western Mosul to government-controlled territory. Most ended up in refugee camps hastily set up by the government and local and international relief groups.
Photos: Fearful residents flee western Mosul
A woman from western Mosul carries her child and the few possessions she could gather before escaping the city. By Saturday, the Iraqi government estimated that nearly 50,000 people had fled western Mosul to government-controlled territory. Most ended up in refugee camps hastily set up by the government and local and international relief groups.
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An Iraqi man carries his daughter, wounded by a mortar round that slammed into their home in the Ma'moun neighborhood of Mosul. Many of those fleeing were said to have been held as human shields by ISIS fighters while their neighborhoods became battlefields.
Photos: Fearful residents flee western Mosul
An Iraqi man carries his daughter, wounded by a mortar round that slammed into their home in the Ma'moun neighborhood of Mosul. Many of those fleeing were said to have been held as human shields by ISIS fighters while their neighborhoods became battlefields.
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An Iraqi security officer talks to hundreds of detained men and boys who fled western Mosul. The group gathered at a processing facility south of Mosul before being transferred to nearby refugee camps.
Photos: Fearful residents flee western Mosul
An Iraqi security officer talks to hundreds of detained men and boys who fled western Mosul. The group gathered at a processing facility south of Mosul before being transferred to nearby refugee camps.
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A young Iraqi boy smiles as he sits on a bus before being transported with his mother and other civilians fleeing western Mosul to a nearby refugee camp.
Photos: Fearful residents flee western Mosul
A young Iraqi boy smiles as he sits on a bus before being transported with his mother and other civilians fleeing western Mosul to a nearby refugee camp.
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Two Iraqi women arrive with their children and a few possessions at a reception point for internally displaced people south of Mosul.
Photos: Fearful residents flee western Mosul
Two Iraqi women arrive with their children and a few possessions at a reception point for internally displaced people south of Mosul.
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Iraqi civilians flee Mosul as the fight to rid the city of ISIS fighters continues.
Photos: Fearful residents flee western Mosul
Iraqi civilians flee Mosul as the fight to rid the city of ISIS fighters continues.
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A young Iraqi boy carries a bag on his back as he walks in the rain to a civilian processing station south of Mosul. Some civilians have made the dangerous escape on foot from western Mosul.
Photos: Fearful residents flee western Mosul
A young Iraqi boy carries a bag on his back as he walks in the rain to a civilian processing station south of Mosul. Some civilians have made the dangerous escape on foot from western Mosul.
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An Iraqi child eats his first hot meal in 10 days at an Iraqi military reception point for internally displaced people south of Mosul.
Photos: Fearful residents flee western Mosul
An Iraqi child eats his first hot meal in 10 days at an Iraqi military reception point for internally displaced people south of Mosul.
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The number of Iraqi refugees fleeing western Mosul shot up to more than 46,000 by Friday, according to Iraq's Ministry of Migration and Displaced. The number of refugees is expected to increase as the battle to wrestle western Mosul from ISIS control continues, migration ministry head Saif Sabah said.