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UNHCR preparing for huge displacement from Iraq’s Mosul

In Iraq, displacement may be about to dramatically worsen with the focus of military action turning towards Mosul. Already, in recent months, some 213,000 people have fled their homes in different parts of the country. This includes 48,000 people from the Mosul area, 87,000 from the Falluja region, and 78,000 from Shirqat, Qayyara and surrounds. […]

Adrian Edwards writes for UNHCR:

In Iraq, displacement may be about to dramatically worsen with the focus of military action turning towards Mosul. Already, in recent months, some 213,000 people have fled their homes in different parts of the country. This includes 48,000 people from the Mosul area, 87,000 from the Falluja region, and 78,000 from Shirqat, Qayyara and surrounds.

Mosul is Iraq’s second largest city, and the humanitarian impact of a military offensive there is expected to be enormous. Up to 1.2 million people could be affected. UNHCR is doing what it can amid enormous challenges to build more camps to accommodate people and mitigate suffering, but additional land for camps and funding is still needed.