Updated

The U.N.'s top humanitarian official for Iraq says finding enough land to shelter those displaced by the fighting to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group is just the latest challenge in their efforts to protect the one million people believed to still be holed up in the city.

Bruno Geddo told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the U.N. and its humanitarian partners currently have enough space in camps for 180,000 people, far short of the estimated 700,000 people who could require shelter in their worst case scenario.

Currently, 82,000 people have fled the city since the military offensive began on Oct. 17, Geddo said, adding that 81 percent of them are currently in camps some 40-80 miles outside the city.