Refugees who fled from Mosul to the Hazar refugee camp near Erbil in northern Iraq, spoke about the horrors of conflict in an RT Exclusive released on Saturday.

One of the refugees said that "the bombing was so intense" that "entire families were killed together – and ISIS [the self-proclaimed Islamic State] hid amongst us. When they died –we died."

Another refugee noted that "ISIS would lurk near people's homes, and show themselves on purpose to bait, to invite airstrikes. They did it so more civilians would be killed."

Thousands of civilians are reported to be fleeing from Mosul on a daily basis as the battles between Iraq's security forces and IS fighters intensifies.

Footage shows scenes of fighting near the contested city.