European Commission allocates $5.3 mn for aid to Iraq

Brussels, March 11 (IANS/EFE) The European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday that it will allocate 4.9 million euros (nearly $5.3 million) for humanitarian aid to Iraq.

"I am deeply concerned by the intense fighting in Iraq, where the death toll and displacement are growing by the day," said the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Christos Stylianides, in a statement.

"(The) EU (European Union) funding will focus on protection, health, water, sanitation and shelter," he added.

The EC explained that this donation was offered to meet the urgent humanitarian needs in Iraq under the auspices of the UN.

The crisis has left 5.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Iraq, which hosts over 242,000 refugees from the conflict-torn neighbouring Syria, according to EC data.

The Islamic State (IS) militant group has seized vast swathes of territory in Iraq since June 2014 and announced the establishment of a caliphate in areas under its control in Iraq and Syria.

It has forced thousands of Iraqis, mainly from minority communities, to flee their homes.

Iraqi troops launched a military operation early Tuesday in order to regain control of the city of Tikrit, in the strategic Salahudin province. This Iraqi city has been under the control of the IS since June last year.

--IANS/EFE

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