BAGHDAD-
United Nations on Friday said that more than 140,000 Iraqis have moved out of areas of Anbar province due to clashes between the security forces and Al-Qaida, terming it the worst civilian displacement in years.
Peter Kessler, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, described the event as “the largest” displacement witnessed in the country since the sectarian violence of 2006-2008.
More than 65,000 people fled the conflict just in the past week alone with many still trapped in the area.
“Many civilians are unable to leave conflict-affected areas where food and fuel are now in short supply,” Kessler said.
Parts of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, have been in control of the Iraqi al-Qaida affiliate Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) since December 2013, along with complete control of the nearby Fallujah city.
The displaced families are staying in abandoned buildings while others have been taken in by relatives.
On Wednesday, International aid agencies appealed to the warring parties to allow humanitarian aid to reach those affected.
A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Farhan Haq on Friday has stated that the UN asked the Iraqi government to open a “humanitarian corridor” to help aid get into affected areas.
“It’s impossible right now to reach the area from Baghdad, and relief agencies are using roads coming from northern Iraq,” Haq said.
On Friday, clashes between the security forces and militants killed six people, including an 8-year-old boy when a mortar shell dropped on a house in Fallujah.
– AGENCIES