العراق للإحصاء 
I believe US laws govern aid to governments using child soldiers. The White House should probably look into that.
Meanwhile, the 'liberation' of Falluja continues resulting in many civilians at risk. The Norwegian Refugee Council released the following:
"Thousands
fleeing the cross-fire after months of besiegement and near starvation
deserve relief and care, but our relief supplies will soon be exhausted.
The humanitarian community needs immediate funding to avoid a
completely avoidable disaster on our watch,” said Jan Egeland, NRC's
Secretary General.
A total of 5,317 families have managed to flee to displacement camps in Anbar, Iraq, since 21 May.
The route out of Fallujah is still extremely dangerous and NRC has recently confirmed reports of a father killed and more people injured by an explosive device just a few meters away from Al Salam intersection—the only route through which people trapped inside Fallujah’s city centre have managed to flee in the last days.
More than 200 families are reportedly still stranded in the area waiting to be transported by Iraqi Security Forces to displacement camps.
For those reaching the camps the situation is also dire. NRC is now able to provide just about 3 liters of drinking water per person per day in displacement camps—well below the minimum humanitarian standard of 10 liters.
With temperatures expected to reach 50 degrees Celsius, this is an alarming situation that might lead to consumption of unsafe water, with serious public health consequences particularly for children, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses.
“Make no mistake: There is absolutely nothing safe for civilians fleeing Fallujah. No safe exits, no safe passage, no safe haven without risking their lives. They risk being shot at, killed by explosive devices on the roads, or drowning while crossing the river. On top of that those who flee IS-controlled areas and manage to make it to safety will soon find out there is very little we can offer them: we are running out of food, drinking water and medical services,” said Egeland.
NRC Emergency Coordinator, Diana Tonea, underlined the needs for people seeking shelter in the camps where we work: “Our emergency food parcels for the newly arrived are expected to last for just another two days for around 15,000 individuals,” Tonea said.
Egeland said: “The current funding is running out as we are overwhelmed by the needs created by this crisis. We cannot let down innocent Iraqi women, children and men just at the moment when they escape from extreme hunger, brutal fighting and despair. This is a moment of truth for international solidarity with Iraqis who have been facing chronic displacement and untold suffering.”
For further comments and information, please contact Karl Schembri, Regional Media Advisor (currently in Baghdad).
Phone number: +964 7733 499 387
Skype: karl.schembri
A total of 5,317 families have managed to flee to displacement camps in Anbar, Iraq, since 21 May.
The route out of Fallujah is still extremely dangerous and NRC has recently confirmed reports of a father killed and more people injured by an explosive device just a few meters away from Al Salam intersection—the only route through which people trapped inside Fallujah’s city centre have managed to flee in the last days.
More than 200 families are reportedly still stranded in the area waiting to be transported by Iraqi Security Forces to displacement camps.
For those reaching the camps the situation is also dire. NRC is now able to provide just about 3 liters of drinking water per person per day in displacement camps—well below the minimum humanitarian standard of 10 liters.
With temperatures expected to reach 50 degrees Celsius, this is an alarming situation that might lead to consumption of unsafe water, with serious public health consequences particularly for children, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses.
“Make no mistake: There is absolutely nothing safe for civilians fleeing Fallujah. No safe exits, no safe passage, no safe haven without risking their lives. They risk being shot at, killed by explosive devices on the roads, or drowning while crossing the river. On top of that those who flee IS-controlled areas and manage to make it to safety will soon find out there is very little we can offer them: we are running out of food, drinking water and medical services,” said Egeland.
NRC Emergency Coordinator, Diana Tonea, underlined the needs for people seeking shelter in the camps where we work: “Our emergency food parcels for the newly arrived are expected to last for just another two days for around 15,000 individuals,” Tonea said.
Egeland said: “The current funding is running out as we are overwhelmed by the needs created by this crisis. We cannot let down innocent Iraqi women, children and men just at the moment when they escape from extreme hunger, brutal fighting and despair. This is a moment of truth for international solidarity with Iraqis who have been facing chronic displacement and untold suffering.”
For further comments and information, please contact Karl Schembri, Regional Media Advisor (currently in Baghdad).
Phone number: +964 7733 499 387
Skype: karl.schembri
With all the billions Iraq rakes in for oil each year, it's a real shame they can't provide aid for the refugees. But when you have a corrupt government, the people never see anything.
And Iraq has a corrupt government.
Nouri al-Maliki is very lucky that Haider al-Abadi appointed a member of Dawa to head the so-called corruption investigations.
Otherwise, he'd have to explain how his barely lower middle class lifestyle in 2002 became a luxury lifestyle with several homes and cars and of course his spoiled son's various digs (including in England) and all those sports cars.
Nouri al-Maliki became a millionaire during his two terms as prime minister of Iraq and he did it via graft and corruption.
Corruption cost him one of his closest aids, remember?
The whole Russian arms deal and how his son benefited and so he blamed it on his press secretary who then went public?
Don't remember it?
Blame it on a cowardly western press that can't report half the things Iraqi journalists struggle to report daily.
Speaking of that which the western press runs from, the ongoing persecution of the Sunni population.
#IRAQ شمرية العراق
Iraqi Sunnis civilians arrested & tortured by Shia militias without guilt or charge #warcrimes in #IRAQ
بن قفيطA friend who teaches (university) on the MidEast notes that Sunnis "are becoming the new Palestinians." Indeed. And like with the Palestinians today, the world's going to look back in 20 years and ask how this happened and why no one raised alarms. (Some did raise alarms.)
Marcia's "Music and TV" went up this morning and the following community sites also updated:
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
Iraq
