Fighting has been reported in one eastern district of Mosul even though Iraqi forces recently recaptured the area from the self-proclaimed Islamic State. <br /><br /> Civilians have been leaving the Mithaq neighbourhood carrying belongings amid the sound of gunfire in the distance.<br /><br /> Most have left the east but a growing number are escaping the besieged west, still controlled by the militants.<br /><br /> “Some are lucky and come through, it’s question of chance, but there are those who are caught and others are stabbed – every person has a different destiny,” said one Iraqi man named as Jamal, who succeeded in fleeing Mosul’s western side.<br /><br /> As the second phase of the army offensive against ISIL continues, many civilians have have to wait to board buses at Bartella, to be driven to nearby camps.<br /><br /> A spokesman said they had first been taken to security screening points where they had received medical treatment and meals.<br /><br /> A new camp has been opened at Khazer for people displaced from Mosul.<br /><br /> The UN says at least 114,000 people have left their homes since military operations began.<br /><br /> The camp was built in anticipation of thousands of residents fleeing ISIL. As many as a million are said to be out of reach of humanitarian assistance.<br /><br /> But those arriving at Khazer are in a minority. So far most of the city’s residents have either chosen to stay or have been unable to escape.<br /><br /> That has worked in ISIL’s favour, slowing the advance of Iraqi forces seeking to avoid civilian casualties.<br /><br /> Smuggled by boat or scaling wrecked bridges, residents escape Mosul's besieged west https://t.co/fshlqywXt7 via ReutersUK— Hassan Hassan (hxhassan) January 3, 2017<br />
