Norwegian Refugee Council: 30,000 Displaced from Iraq’s Fallujah in 3 Days

Norwegian Refugee Council: 30,000 Displaced from Iraq’s Fallujah in 3 Days
Sun Jun 19, 2016 18:58:20

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said Sunday that over the past three days at least 30,000 Iraqis have been displaced due to the fighting in Fallujah.

 

A general view shows a camp where displaced Iraqis from the embattled city of Fallujah are taking shelter, June 18, 2016. ©AFP

In the early hours of June 17, Iraqi forces announced they had seized almost full control over the strategic city, which had been in the hands of the Takfiri Daesh (ISIS / ISIL) terrorists for more than two years.

The liberation allowed thousands of residents who had been used as human shields to flee the city.

"The estimated total number of displaced from Fallujah in just the last three days is now at a staggering 30,000 people," the NRC said in a statement issued on Sunday.

Fallujah is located about 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad.

The NRC also stated that some 32,000 other citizens had already been displaced since the government forces began the offensive against Takfiri terrorists about a month ago.

The group, which runs camps around the city, said it believed dozens of civilians, including most vulnerable people such as pregnant women and elderly, were still in the city.

"We implore the Iraqi government to take charge of this humanitarian disaster unfolding on our watch," said NRC’s Iraq director, Nasr Muflahi.

Displaced Iraqis from the city of Fallujah wait for water to be delivered at a camp suffering from water and food shortages where they are taking shelter, June 18, 2016. ©AFP

The aid group also said it could no longer provide the needed assistance and that water rations are drying up.

The NRC recently opened a camp near Fallujah that houses 1,800 people with only one latrine for women, the group added.

"We need the Iraqi government to take a leading role in providing for the needs of the most vulnerable civilians who have endured months of trauma and terror," Muflahi said.

An Iraqi soldier helps civilians who fled from Fallujah, Iraq, during a dust storm on the outskirts of the city, June 18, 2016. (Reuters)

Following the liberation of Fallujah, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said, “We promised you the liberation of Fallujah and we retook it. Our security forces control the city except for small pockets that need to be cleared within the coming hours.

S/SH 11

Category:
string(1959) "[{"id":"1829494","sort":"3568978","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/18/alalam_636018414972889286_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"VIDEO: Iraqi Forces Retake Most of Fallujah, Pressing on ISIS Terrorists"} ,{"id":"1829537","sort":"3568976","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/18/alalam_636018474188230369_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"Al-Alam Exclusive Footage shows Iraqi Forces in Central Fallujah"} ,{"id":"1829577","sort":"3568977","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/18/alalam_636018577040384838_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"VIDEO: Civilians Flee ISIS in Fallujah By Swimming Euphrates River"} ,{"id":"1829596","sort":"3568975","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/18/alalam_636018632783302145_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"VIDOE: Iraqi Forces Launch New Anti-ISIS Military Operation after Fallujah Liberation"} ,{"id":"1829623","sort":"3568972","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/18/alalam_636018686926942677_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"DOCUMENTARY: After Fallujah, Iraq Eyes on Mosul, Latest Stronghold of Daesh"} ,{"id":"1829775","sort":"3568974","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/19/alalam_636019244244717814_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"VIDEO: Iraqi Forces Clean Fallujah from Remaining Groups of Daesh"} ,{"id":"1829779","sort":"3568971","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/19/alalam_636019260330920002_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"500 ISIS Terrorists Killed in Fallujah, 40 Areas Liberated"} ,{"id":"1829816","sort":"3568973","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/19/alalam_636019338774830069_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"PHOTOS: Fallujah under Powerful Control of Iraqi Security Forces"} ,{"id":"1829897","sort":"3568970","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/19/alalam_636019462386232348_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Latest Pictures of Street Clashes Between Iraqi Forces and ISIS in Fallujah + PHOTOS"} ,{"id":"1829913","sort":"3568969","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/19/alalam_636019492323981630_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"VIDEO: Iraqi Army Forces Enter Fallujah, Previously Held by ISIS Terrorists"} ]"