The Iraqi government is providing shelter and aid to thousands of families fleeing the grip of the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) as Iraqi forces advance to liberate the city of Mosul.

The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) from areas and villages surrounding Mosul has reached 37,184, the Ministry of Migration and Displacement said Tuesday (November 8th).

"The ministry's teams have today received 1,823 civilians displaced from al-Mahlabiya, Qaraj, Mosul, and al-Samah in Ninawa province, and from al-Hawijah in Kirkuk province," the ministry said in a statement.

They were transferred to Hassan Sham and Dibaga camps east of Mosul, where they were provided with food and in-kind aid.

Other camps that have been receiving IDPs since before the start of the battle include al-Jadaa camp in al-Qayyarah, al-Khazir in Erbil and Zleikan in Sheikhan, said Dia Sallal, chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Relief of the Displaced in the Kurdish region.

"Once IDPs reach our military units, we transfer them with the help of security forces from the battle lines to the camps," he told Diyaruna.

They are then immediately provided with shelter kit, food and urgent relief aid, he added.

Situation under control

"We are working hard to overcome all challenges," he said. "The challenges are big but we are able to confront them and keep the situation under control."

Mohammad Husseini, of the Ministry of Migration in the Kurdish region, told Diyaruna the ministry has distributed thousands of aid and food kits to displaced residents.

"They included dried food baskets, clothes, mattresses, blankets, oil cookers and household items," he said.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Oil, allocations of white oil were also distributed to about 2,000 families with 200 litres per family, he said.

"Aid distribution is ongoing and we are ready to serve all our displaced people," Husseini said.

Meanwhile, some villages and areas that have been liberated are already starting to see the return of their fleeing residents.

In al-Qayyarah district and surrounding villages to the south of Mosul, at least 4,000 displaced families have returned to their homes since the end of August, said Deputy Minister of Migration Jasem al-Attiyah.

The ministry is keen to ensure a speedy return of all IDPs to their homes after security is restored, he said.

"When IDPs return to their homes, it eases the burden of the displacement crisis and helps us focus on the newly displaced," he said.

'We are safe'

The Ministry of Commerce has also been delivering food to the liberated areas south of Mosul, ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Hamdani told Diyaruna.

The food rations include flour, sugar, oil and rice and are distributed to families in al-Qayyarah and liberated villages such as al-Hod, Lazakah and Um al-Manasees.

"We have food stocks enough for all the residents of Mosul and its outskirts," al-Hamdani said.

"Our readiness is high and we continue to meet the food needs of any area that gets rid of ISIL's oppression," he said.

Abu Wadah, a displaced resident who asked to use a pseudonym, said that he and a dozen other families fled from the village of Bazwaya east of Mosul two weeks ago and sought refuge with the security forces.

"Peshmerga forces saved us. They provided us with food and drinks and transferred us to al-Khazir camp," he told Diyaruna.

"We are currently receiving care, food, and most importantly, we are safe," he said.

"That is what we needed. No terrorism, killing or restrictions anymore. Thank God we survived," he added.