The US expects up to 700,000 people to be displaced in the fight to drive Daesh group from Mosul and has positioned stocks of food and supplies on the outskirts of Iraq’s second-largest city, senior administration officials were quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying Monday.

Underscoring concerns about humanitarian fallout from the battle, Iraqi troops discovered what could be a mass grave some 30 miles southeast of Mosul, according to Iraqi Lt. Gen. Abdulamir Yarallah, commander of the Nineveh liberation operation, where he said 100 decapitated bodies were found at an agriculture school in the town of Hamam al Alil.

He provided few details but said Iraqi officials will be sending specialized teams to investigate. Mosul is located in Nineveh Province.

Displaced people continued to flow Monday to camps miles away from the front lines of Mosul, with approximately 33,000 fleeing the city since the campaign began about three weeks ago, according to Iraqi and U.S. government tallies. The figure is lower than the U.S. initially expected, a senior administration official said, while warning much of the heavy fighting is still ahead.

“It’s important to keep in mind that Iraqi and Kurdish forces have not yet reached the most populous areas of Mosul city,” the official said.

The U.S. is preparing for “a worst-case scenario” of up to 700,000 people displaced, the official said. But the official added a higher number of people may ultimately need assistance because “displacement alone does not equal need,” as the Iraqi government has advised people to shelter in place in Mosul.

The U.S. is working with the Iraqi government, the U.N. and aid organizations to be ready to provide emergency shelter, food, water, sanitation, hygiene and health services to people fleeing Mosul.

Source: MENA