Iraq: U.N. warns of humanitarian crisis 'legacy' after Islamic State's defeat

Lise Grande, the United Nation's humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, warned that Mosul and the country's humanitarian crisis could remain even after the Islamic State is removed.


The United Nations estimates about 750,000 civilians live under the control of the Islamic State in Mosul's western section, which is more densely populated than the larger eastern section.

If the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh, is defeated, it would be a "military success, but the humanitarian crisis is a legacy – it just keeps going," Grande said in a statement Wednesday.

"As soon as Daesh is defeated, there are a lot of people who need to get back home, to get back to their lives," Grande said. "If they don't, the conditions which led to the rise of ISIL will continue to be there. Humanitarians know that when Daesh is defeated that the world's attention is going to go elsewhere and that it will be difficult for us to mobilize the resources necessary."

Grande said civilian casualties in the battle for Mosul are high despite Iraqi efforts to reduce collateral damage. She said Iraq's plan to prohibit artillery airstrikes, to urge civilians to remain in their homes and to establish humanitarian exit corridors is not succeeding because the Islamic State is killing civilians directly.
 [upi.com]
12/1/17
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