Thousands of civilians fleeing the battle zones in Tal Afar have been safely transported to camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation announced Wednesday (August 23rd).

At the start of the battle to liberate Tal Afar from the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) on Sunday, the ministry kicked off an effort to provide humanitarian support to fleeing residents, ministry spokesman Salem Moussa told Diyaruna.

"Fifty buses have arrived in Tal Afar and are currently transporting displaced families from the battle fronts around the city to housing centres for IDPs," Moussa said.

"Over the past three days, we have managed to secure the exit of about 24,000 IDPs in 370 trips from areas close to the battlefields, in co-ordination with the security forces," he said.

"We are working to reinforce our bus fleet in order to cope with any emergency increases in the displacement waves," he said, adding that the ministry is mobilising all resources to save and aid local people.

Iraqi forces advanced Wednesday towards central Tal Afar, moving into al-Nur district early in the morning as warplanes flew overhead.

Troops are now in full control of the al-Kifah, al-Nur and al-Askari districts, AFP reported.