IDPs fleeing Mosul may rise over 1 million, reports ICRC
Displaced families. File photo.
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad- Quoting a report published by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a well placed source informed that over one million people could be displaced from their homes as fighting intensify in different areas of Iraq, especially around Mosul.
“The situation is unpredictable but we must prepare for the worst,” Robert Mardini, the ICRC’s regional director for the Near and Middle East said, noting that hundreds of thousands of people may very well be on the move in the upcoming weeks and months, seeking shelter and assistance.
“ICRC is asking for an additional 17 million Swiss francs ($17.1m, €15.6m) to its current budget for Iraq. The funds will be used to provide water, food, medical supplies and other assistance for those people caught up in the fighting,” the ICRC report said.
It may be mentioned here that following the liberation of Fallujah and Qayyarah air base, the Iraqi army association with the US-led coalition is tightening noose around Mosul- considered as the last ISIS bastion.
It may be further mentioned here that the ICRC on Friday warned that up to one million IDPs are expected to flee Mosul and this will further pose massive humanitarian problems for Iraq.