Iraqi Kurdish camps bracing for influx of refugees from Mosul
-
Iraqi civilians are seen at a camp for displaced people in the district of Hajaj after fleeing the villages of al-Shirqat and Qayyaya, south of the city of Mosul, July 27, 2016. (Photo by AFP)
Camps in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region are preparing for an influx of more displaced persons from Mosul, a northern Iraqi city that government forces are gearing up to retake from Daesh, Press TV reports.
Local authorities and relief personnel say the large numbers of refugees coming in are stretching the resources of the already overcrowded camps in the region.
“Every day, we receive up to 215 new refugees. The process of taking in new arrivals is slow so that we can provide them with everyday needs,” Rizgar Obaid, the manager of the Debaga camp on the outskirts of Erbil, said on Tuesday.
He said four more sites will be built at the camp to house internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“We are able to provide just basic services. Currently, we have 31,000 refugees here, but our main problem is providing them with accommodation. We have requested more land from the Kurdish regional government to put up more tents since we are unaware how many people would come here,” Obaid added.
Some of the new arrivals are, however, thankful for the little aid they are receiving.
Hundreds of Iraqi families continue to flee southern Mosul as army soldiers and fighters from Popular Mobilization units are taking up positions around the city, which is located some 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad.
ME
