Geneva-U.N. rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani has said that ISIS reportedly killed 50 of its own militants in the Ghazlani military base in Iraq’s Mosul city for alleged desertion.

She also spoke on Friday of credible reports that 180 people were killed in Kokjali town in eastern Mosul.

“We have reports that ISIS has been continuing to forcibly transfer civilians over the past few days. On Tuesday, we understand trucks full of abducted civilians – reportedly some 1,600 people – were taken from Hamam al-Alil to Tal Afar city,” Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.

“Some of these families were told that they may be transported to Syria. We are very concerned that ISIS intends to use these families to shield themselves from air strikes,” she said.

“We have reports that ISIS militants are holding captive nearly 400 women from Kurdish, Yezidi or Shi’ite communities in Tal Afar. Since 17 October, ISIS has reportedly also been forcibly recruiting children from the age of nine or 10 as fighters in Mosul.”

Mosul residents, speaking to Reuters by telephone, said ISIS militants were deploying artillery and rocket launchers in and near residential areas.

Some were hidden in trees near the Wahda district in the south, while others were deployed on the rooftops of houses taken over by the militants in the Ghizlani district close to Mosul airport, they said.

“We saw Daesh (ISIS) fighters installing a heavy anti-aircraft machine gun alongside a rocket launchpad, and mortars as well,” one resident said.

People in southern and eastern neighborhoods said on Thursday night that their houses had been shaken by artillery and rocket barrages launched from their districts towards the advancing troops.