Iraqi forces close in on Mosul's main government buildings

Baghdad: U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are about to reach the main government complex in Mosul, their next target in the offensive to dislodge IS from the city, a commander said on Sunday.
The complex, which houses the Nineveh Provincial Council and the Nineveh Governorate buildings, should be taken Monday, Lt. Colonel Abdel Amir Al-Mohammadawi told Reuters. Rapid response units from the interior ministry are "very close" to the complex, said Mohammadawi, a senior media officer with these elite units.
Meanwhile, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the total number of civilians displaced from Mosul has risen sharply over the past days and exceeded 200,000 on Sunday.
The IOM's Mosul Displacement Tracking Matrix showed the total number of people displaced form Mosul since the start of the offensive on S in the city in October exceeding 206,000 on Sunday, versus 164,000 on February 26.
International aid agencies have expressed concern over the past few days that camps to accommodate displaced people are approaching full capacity.
Iraqi forces captured the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris river on February 19.