Iraqi forces call on civilians to flee Mosul's IS-held Old City

Displaced Iraqi people flee their homes during a battle between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in western Mosul, Iraq, May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi air force dropped leaflets on Friday urging residents in the Islamic State-held Old City centre of Mosul to flee, raising fears among humanitarian organisations for the safety of civilians there.

The leaflet drop, announced in an Iraqi military statement, signalled that the decisive offensive to dislodge the militants from their remaining enclave in the northern Iraqi city was imminent.