GENEVA: The United Nations on Tuesday said that it was rushing to build camps to accommodate – what it expects to be – a mass exodus from Mosul once a battle begins for Iraq’s second largest city. The UN warned that an expected battle to liberate Mosul – the Islamic State’s last major urban stronghold in Iraq – was likely to dramatically worsen the displacement situation in the country. Iraq has already faced one of the world’s biggest displacement crises – with 3.38 million people forced to flee their homes – since 2014. “In just the past few months alone, 213,000 people have been forced from their homes across the country, including around 48,000 fleeing to Mosul,” UNHCR Spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva. “The humanitarian impact of the military offensive is expected to be enormous,” he said – cautioning that as many as 1.2 million civilians could be affected. After retaking Fallujah in June, Iraq’s security forces aimed for Mosul – IS’s de facto capital in Iraq. Iraqi Special Forces led an operation on Tuesday aimed at retaking the militant-held town of Qayyarah, which is expected to be used as a launch-pad for a broader operation against Mosul in the coming weeks. “Once the operation begins, UNHCR estimates that some 400,000 people could flee to the south of Mosul, around 250,000 to the east and another 100,000 to the northwest, towards the Syrian border,” said Edwards. He said that contingency plans had been drawn up to provide shelter for about 120,000 people, while UNHCR was also planning to set up six new camps across northern Iraq. “Progress depends on both the availability of land and funding,” Edwards said, pointing out that UNHCR’s overall appeal for $584 million for the displaced Iraqis – including those who have fled to nearby countries – was only 38% funded. He also said that finding land for the camps was become a critical issue as many landowners were unwilling to lease their lands.