WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (APP/AFP): The offensive to seize Mosul, the Islamic State group’s last major stronghold in Iraq, has resulted in fewer refugees than expected so far, US government officials said Monday. Since the beginning of the US-backed Iraqi forces’ advance three weeks ago, the fighting has displaced “just over 33,000 people,” a US official said in a conference call with reporters. “That is lower than initially expected, but it’s important to keep in mind that the Iraq security forces still have not reached the most populous areas,” he added. Iraq’s second-largest city has been an IS group stronghold since June 2014. At least one million people are believed trapped by the fighting, but it is impossible to verify the number after Mosul’s more than two years under the extremists control.