Mosul: Iraqi government forces battling the Islamic State in Mosul's western side evacuated hundreds of civilians from the city centre on Tuesday, as troop progress slowed down faced with strong resistance from the militants, Iraqi officials said.

"Our forces evacuated hundreds of civilians to prevent terrorists from using them as human shields, while our troops are pushing inside the old city centre to recapture the al-Nuri Mosque," Lt. Gen. Raid Shakir Jawdat, commander of the federal police forces, said in a statement, Xinhua reported. "Dozens of federal police snipers positioned themselves atop building tops in the neighbourhoods of the old city centre around the al-Nuri Mosque," Jawdat said.