Residents fled the Iraqi town of Hit Tuesday as security forces closed in to battle Daesh fighters in one of their main strongholds in Anbar province, AFP reported.
Since recapturing the provincial capital of Ramadi from Daesh in January, Iraqi forces have steadily been advancing on other towns in the province where Daesh fighters are holding out.
Iraqi officials have vowed to launch an operation to reclaim the town of Hit in the coming days.
Local police colonel Fadhel al-Nimrawi told AFP that thousands of families had fled northwest to al-Baghdadi and other centers where displaced persons have gathered.
"At least 120 families arrived in Al-Baghdadi yesterday but there are thousands of families still in there," he told AFP.
Some militants also left Hit on Saturday and Sunday, including some top foreign commanders who had been based there.
Iraqi forces and a US-led coalition have been battling Daesh since mid-2014 when the militant group seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.
