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(CNN)ISIS rounded up and killed 284 men and boys as Iraqi-led coalition forces closed in on Mosul, the terror group's last major stronghold in Iraq, an Iraqi intelligence source told CNN.
Those killed Thursday and Friday were used as human shields against attacks forcing ISIS out of southern parts of Mosul, the source said.
ISIS dumped the corpses in a mass grave at the defunct College of Agriculture in northern Mosul, the intelligence source said.
The victims -- some of them children -- were all shot, said the source, who asked for anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media. CNN could not independently confirm the killings.
Latest developments
• Kurdish officials accused Sunni Arabs in Kirkuk of supporting ISIS a day after attacks killed dozens.
• A large-scale offensive began Saturday to retake Hamdaniya; Iraqi troops also advanced on Tal Kayf.
• Iraqis displaced by the Mosul offensive are seeking shelter in camps, the UN refugee agency said.
Iraqi forces move on Hamdaniya
The Iraqi military launched a large offensive early Saturday to retake Hamdaniya -- also known as Qaraqosh -- from ISIS, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command center said.
The city is about 15 kilometers (nine miles) southeast of Mosul.
Iraqi troops entered the al-Askary neighborhood and liberated the mayor's building and the main hospital, raising the Iraqi flag over those buildings, Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Maliky said.
At least 50 ISIS militants were killed and some of their equipment destroyed, he added.
Iraqi security forces and Peshmerga -- as the Kurdish fighters are known -- have made progress and isolated Hamdaniya, a US military official said in Baghdad, speaking on background.
Tal Kayf is next target
Iraqi troops are also advancing toward Tal Kayf and plan on storming the Chaldean town, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said Saturday.
Iraqi army and militia forces arrive Thursday in Saleh village in the offensive to wrest Mosul from ISIS.
Tal Kayf is about 10 kilometers (six miles) north of Mosul.
It's the closest Iraqi security forces have come to Mosul, a CNN analysis indicates.
The US military official said US and coalition aircraft were providing air support as needed Saturday. The official said land forces were working through "a hard outer crust," and resistance would intensify as the offensive neared Mosul.
The official said ISIS fighters had infiltrated towns cleared earlier, including Bartella, requiring renewed efforts to combat them.
Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces head toward the front lines near Qayyara on Tuesday, October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces in Bajwaniyah on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
People flee their homes amid the fighting on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Smoke rises from an ISIS position after a coalition airstrike in Mosul on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Civilians herd sheep from a village near Mosul on October 18. The smoke came from oil wells ISIS set on fire to limit the visibility of coalition pilots.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Kurdish Peshmerga forces are on the front line in Nineveh, Iraq, on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Peshmerga fighter peers up from an underground tunnel in the liberated town of Badana on October 18. ISIS fighters have built tunnels below residential streets to escape from airstrikes.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Armored vehicles driven by Peshmerga forces move along the Hazir front on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Members of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government take aim near the town of Bartella on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Kurdish security forces take up a position near ISIS-controlled villages on Monday, October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga forces attack ISIS militants with howitzers from Zardak mountain on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Smoke rises from a suicide car bomb attack carried out by ISIS in the village of Bedene on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi coalition forces deploy in the area of al-Shurah as they advance toward Mosul on October 17. Before ISIS gained control, Mosul was inhabited by more than 2 million people. Only about 1 million residents now remain.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Coalition forces attack ISIS targets in the Bertela region on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces advance near al-Shurah on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Kurdish Peshmerga convoy drives towards the Khazer front line, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Mosul on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Members of the Iraqi coalition gather around a fire at Zardak mountain ahead of the offensive.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga forces deploy in the dark near the village of Wardak early on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
An Iraqi police officer inspects his weapon at the Qayyara military base about 60 kilometers (35 miles) south of Mosul on Sunday, October 16. If Iraqi forces regain control of Mosul, it will be the latest in a string of victories, including the recapture of the Qayyara oil refinery and airbase.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Sunni Iraqi police officer prays at the Qayyara airbase on October 16.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter watches Iraqi forces battle ISIS while trying to take back a village on the road to Mosul, Iraq, on Thursday, October 20. This is as far as the Peshmerga are allowed to go in this area. An Iraqi-led offensive is underway to reclaim the largest region of the country under ISIS control.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Peshmerga soldier mans a post on the outskirts of Mosul on October 20. The Iraqi-led coalition is advancing closer to Mosul, a stronghold of ISIS since 2014.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga fighters look over a village during an assault near the town of Bashiqa on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A coalition fighter covers his ears before another fires artillery on ISIS positions in Nawaran on October 20. The coalition against ISIS includes Iraqi, Kurdish and American forces.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga forces move on ISIS targets near the village of Naveran on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Coalition fighters hold position near Bashiqa on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi troops ride in the back of a vehicle as they advance through the desert northeast of Qayyara, Iraq, on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga forces are seen during an attack on ISIS targets in the village of Naveran.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A flag flies as Peshmerga fighters prepare to fire a rocket near Bashiqa on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A member of the Peshmerga forces handles weaponry during an attack on ISIS targets near Naveran on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Peshmerga fighter takes aim near Naveran on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi soldiers travel along a road near Qayyara as clouds of black smoke rise in the sky on Wednesday, October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi special forces advance toward Mosul on Wednesday.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Displaced people flee their homes on October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces fire a howitzer toward the village of Tall al-Tibah on October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi soldiers raise their weapons in celebration on the outskirts of Qayyara on October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A man stands in front of a fire from oil that had earlier been set ablaze by members of ISIS in the Qayyara area on October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A street is covered with smoke from the Qayyara fire.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi soldiers look on as smoke rises from the Qayyara area.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces head toward the front lines near Qayyara on Tuesday, October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces in Bajwaniyah on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
People flee their homes amid the fighting on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Smoke rises from an ISIS position after a coalition airstrike in Mosul on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Civilians herd sheep from a village near Mosul on October 18. The smoke came from oil wells ISIS set on fire to limit the visibility of coalition pilots.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Kurdish Peshmerga forces are on the front line in Nineveh, Iraq, on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Peshmerga fighter peers up from an underground tunnel in the liberated town of Badana on October 18. ISIS fighters have built tunnels below residential streets to escape from airstrikes.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Armored vehicles driven by Peshmerga forces move along the Hazir front on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Members of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government take aim near the town of Bartella on October 18.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Kurdish security forces take up a position near ISIS-controlled villages on Monday, October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga forces attack ISIS militants with howitzers from Zardak mountain on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Smoke rises from a suicide car bomb attack carried out by ISIS in the village of Bedene on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi coalition forces deploy in the area of al-Shurah as they advance toward Mosul on October 17. Before ISIS gained control, Mosul was inhabited by more than 2 million people. Only about 1 million residents now remain.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Coalition forces attack ISIS targets in the Bertela region on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces advance near al-Shurah on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Kurdish Peshmerga convoy drives towards the Khazer front line, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Mosul on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Members of the Iraqi coalition gather around a fire at Zardak mountain ahead of the offensive.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga forces deploy in the dark near the village of Wardak early on October 17.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
An Iraqi police officer inspects his weapon at the Qayyara military base about 60 kilometers (35 miles) south of Mosul on Sunday, October 16. If Iraqi forces regain control of Mosul, it will be the latest in a string of victories, including the recapture of the Qayyara oil refinery and airbase.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Sunni Iraqi police officer prays at the Qayyara airbase on October 16.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter watches Iraqi forces battle ISIS while trying to take back a village on the road to Mosul, Iraq, on Thursday, October 20. This is as far as the Peshmerga are allowed to go in this area. An Iraqi-led offensive is underway to reclaim the largest region of the country under ISIS control.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Peshmerga soldier mans a post on the outskirts of Mosul on October 20. The Iraqi-led coalition is advancing closer to Mosul, a stronghold of ISIS since 2014.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga fighters look over a village during an assault near the town of Bashiqa on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A coalition fighter covers his ears before another fires artillery on ISIS positions in Nawaran on October 20. The coalition against ISIS includes Iraqi, Kurdish and American forces.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga forces move on ISIS targets near the village of Naveran on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Coalition fighters hold position near Bashiqa on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi troops ride in the back of a vehicle as they advance through the desert northeast of Qayyara, Iraq, on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Peshmerga forces are seen during an attack on ISIS targets in the village of Naveran.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A flag flies as Peshmerga fighters prepare to fire a rocket near Bashiqa on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A member of the Peshmerga forces handles weaponry during an attack on ISIS targets near Naveran on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A Peshmerga fighter takes aim near Naveran on October 20.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi soldiers travel along a road near Qayyara as clouds of black smoke rise in the sky on Wednesday, October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi special forces advance toward Mosul on Wednesday.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Displaced people flee their homes on October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces fire a howitzer toward the village of Tall al-Tibah on October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi soldiers raise their weapons in celebration on the outskirts of Qayyara on October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A man stands in front of a fire from oil that had earlier been set ablaze by members of ISIS in the Qayyara area on October 19.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
A street is covered with smoke from the Qayyara fire.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi soldiers look on as smoke rises from the Qayyara area.
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Photos: Mosul operation: Iraqi-led forces push toward key city
Iraqi forces head toward the front lines near Qayyara on Tuesday, October 18.
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