Tens of thousands of civilians have fled the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah as government troops and militias continue their offensive against Islamic State fighters, sparking warnings of a humanitarian crisis from aid agencies.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, stated that more than 80,000 people have fled the city since the government offensive began more than 4 weeks ago.

"Agencies are scrambling to respond to the rapidly evolving situation and we are bracing ourselves for another large exodus in the next few days as we estimate that thousands more people remain trapped in Fallujah," said the UNHCR.

Karl Schembri of the Norwegian Refugee Council told Al Jazeera that in the last three days alone, some 30,000 people have fled the city. "This comes after months of besiegement," he added.

A British MP has died after being shot and stabbed in West Yorkshire on Thursday afternoon.

Jo Cox, Labour MP for Batley and Spen was fatally shot and stabbed while leaving her constituency surgery earlier today.

A 52-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the attack.

According to The Guardian, police are investigating claims that the suspect had shouted 'Britain First' before shooting, referencing the far-right nationalist group.

Syrian Kurdish parties have pressed ahead with plans to set up an autonomous federal system of government in the northern Syria, as US backed militants continue to regain territory from the Islamic State.

The former Chadian ruler Hissene Habre has been sentenced to life after being convicted of crimes against humanity. at a trial in Senegal.

The landmark case examined allegations of rape, sexual slavery and extrajudicial killings during his reign in the eighties.

"This is a historic day for Chad and for Africa. It is the first time that an African head of state has been found guilty in another African country," Yamasoum Konar, a representative of one of the victims' groups, told the BBC.

"This will be a lesson to other dictators in Africa," he further said.