Iraqi special forces have moved more than 1,000 people from villages near the front lines of the battle to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul.

Canadian Brig.-Gen. Greg Smith says Iraqi soldiers are holding their own and then some against Islamic State militants.

Iraqi soldiers battling the Islamic State group recaptured the heart of the town of Beiji, home to the country's largest oil refinery, state television and a military official said Tuesday.