U.N.: Iraq-Kurdistan turmoil in disputed territories displaced 136.000
Deportation of Arab families in Kirkuk.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Military tensions between Iraq and Kurdistan Region at disputed territories have displaced nearly 136.000 Iraqis, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
The International Organization for Migration said “some 136,000 people are still displaced in northern Iraq after the latest military operations”.
“In a statement she made over the weekend, Iraq’s Humanitarian Coordinator Lise Grande said the situation is still volatile and many people are returning home before fleeing a second and third time when hostilities resume,” the statement read.
The IOM said “It is extremely concerned by the reports of violence, looting and destruction, stressing that the authorities of all parties must do their utmost to ensure the safety of the families trapped in recent events”.
The U.N. urged Iraqi and Kurdish authorities to coordinate measures to prevent further clashes.
Iraqi troops, backed by Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), took over Kirkuk province from Kurdish Peshmerga fighters earlier this month, fulfilling instructions made earlier by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to retake areas where sovereignty is disputed with Kurdistan Region’s Government. The military takeover came after Kurdistan voted in September to secede from Iraq.
The United Nations says Iraq’s war against Islamic State militants since 2014 has already displaced more than five million.