Thousands of Iraqi Civilians Continue to Flee Fallujah

The United Nations says 80,000 civilians have left the Iraqi city of Fallujah as the country’s US -backed forces are ramping up efforts to take back the ISIS stronghold.

The Norwegian Refugee Council says the civilian exodus has overwhelmed camps run by the Iraqi government and humanitarian groups, leaving thousands without shelter or proper sanitation.

“The operation is going well but the humanitarian situation is horrific”, said Muhannad Haimour, a spokesman for Suhaib al-Rawi, the governor of Anbar, Iraq’s largest province where Fallujah is located. Gen. Haider al-Obeidi said. That includes Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, which fell to IS in the summer of 2014.

The United Nations says Iraq is facing a growing humanitarian disaster as aid workers scramble to cope with a massive influx of civilians who have fled Fallujah since government forces recaptured much of the city last week from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.

It cited the case of a newly opened camp in Amriyat al-Fallujah, south of Fallujah, that houses 1,800 people but has only one latrine for women.

The aid group, which runs displacement camps around Fallujah, said another 32,000 people had already been displaced since the start of the government offensive against the Daesh bastion almost a month ago.

Iraqi soldiers stand guard by civilians who fled from Falluja on the outskirts of the city.

Around 3.4 million people have since been forced from their homes by conflict across the country. The government made appeals for funding from global organisations and relies heavily on local religious networks. “Our security forces control the city except for small pockets that need to be cleared within the coming hours”.

The authorities have already made arrests related to allegations that Shi’ite militiamen executed dozens of fleeing Sunnis. Thousands have been freed and scores referred to the courts, but many others remain unaccounted for.

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

“Food is scarce”, said Um Ahmed, who is still living in Fallujah with her family. “We don’t want rice or cooking oil, we just want our men”.