Latest Humanitarian Developments
• Since March, at least 60,000 people have been displaced in Anbar governorate due to military operations by Iraqi forces to re-take areas under ISIL control, approximately 30,000 of these people remain displaced.
• Intense hostilities underway in three parts of the province around Fallujah, north of Khalidiyah town and in Heet, have led to new waves of displacement.
• At least 50,000 people are reported inside Fallujah unable to escape and are in grave danger of being used as human shields by armed groups since operations began to re-take the city on 23 May.
• Residents of Fallujah have been facing acute shortages of food, medicine and other basic services as the city has been inaccessible to humanitarian actors since December 2015. Fallujah, 60 kilometers west of the capital Baghdad, was the first city to be taken by ISIL in January 2014.
• Most people fleeing fighting have been directed to transit sites (Al Wafaa, Kilo 7/18, Khalidiyah) and several large IDP camps with multiple sub-camps in Ameriyat al Fallujah and Habbaniyah Tourist City. Others are staying with relatives in nearby towns.
• While humanitarian assistance is being provided to the displaced populations across the governorate, protection remains the main concern due to the violence, strict procedures for security screening, and the fluid and unpredictable conditions. Children remain vulnerable to family separation, exposure to IEDs and grave violations of their rights.