Over 100,000 displaced in Iraqi governorate

The UN on Thursday said that more than 100,000 people have been displaced in Anbar governorate, where pro-government forces have been engaged in intense clashes with Islamic State militants for control of Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) made the statement citing figures from the Iraqi government, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Ramadi is about 100 kms west of the capital Baghdad.

"The majority of new arrivals are dispersed across multiple unidentified locations, hampering rapid response efforts by both the government and aid agencies," Dujarric said.

In Anbar governorate, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partner have distributed relief items including blankets, kitchen sets, jerry cans and plastic sheeting to more than 15,000 people.

In Baghdad governorate, food distribution continues, with the World Food Programme (WFP) having provided food to more than 76,000 people displaced from Ramadi in Baghdad, Anbar and Diyala since the beginning of the response effort.

An estimated 2.7 million people have been displaced across Iraq since January 2014 due to ongoing violence, making it one of the most complex humanitarian crises in the world. This is in addition to 250,000 Syrian refugees hosted in the country, as well as an estimated one million Iraqis displaced over the past decade.