Iraq forces poised for first push into Mosul

The report comes just hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi appeared on state television urging the Islamic State group to "surrender or die".

"We will close in on Daesh [IS] from all angles and God willing we will cut the snake's head. They will have no way out and no way to escape," al-Abadi said while dressed in combat fatigues.

Early on Monday morning, Iraqi Special Forces were reported to have been around one kilometre from the eastern edge of the IS group's 'capital' in Iraq.

At the same time, government forces were also advancing on the city from the south.

Mosul was captured by the IS group in June 2014, after which the group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his 'caliphate' from a mosque in the city.

The coalition offensive on Mosul began on October 17 and is expected to be a long and difficult battle to unseat the extremist group from their Iraqi stronghold.

According to the US military, IS has 3,000 to 5,000 fighters inside Mosul and another 1,500 to 2,500 in the city's outer defensive belt. The total number includes around 1,000 foreign fighters. 

While many IS fighters have stayed behind, over 17,000 of Mosul's residents have fled so far, with this number expected to rise dramatically as fighting intensifies.

Last week, displaced civilians from Mosul began arriving in United Nations camps. The international body and aid agencies are now stepping up efforts to cater to those fleeing the conflict.

The UN's refugee agency has announced that it will be bringing in some 7,200 tents, as part of an effort to secure 50,000 tents and the same number of emergency shelter kits for displaced families.