Megan Guard
In the midst of a growing humanitarian crisis in Iraq the Secretary General of the UN arrived in Baghdad last Thursday (March 31) due to fighting against the Islamic State Group in Mosul. According to Fox News World dozens of civilians were killed by air strikes in Mosul. Since last October more than 350,000 people have fled fighting caused by the start of the Mosul military operation.
Secretary General offered support to Iraq in the fight against the Islamic state and supported continued aid to the 3 million Iraqi’s displaced by the fight, according to ABC news. Guterres met with Iraq’s president, prime minister, and parliament speaker during his trip. Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman reported that,
The Secretary General told the UN Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) “to remain in close contact with the community to ensure that there is sufficient support for those Yazidis who had escaped Daesh control, especially women and girls.”
I think the spokesman comments were newsworthy enough to quote in an article because I think it is important to highlight the depth of the Secretary General’s first meetings in Iraq for civilian relief. “The Secretary-General also appealed for more support for the reconciliation efforts at the community and national levels that will be needed once the liberation of Mosul has been completed,” said Farhan Haq.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxnews.com/world/2017/03/30/un-secretary-general-starts-official-visit-to-iraq.amp.html
https://www.google.com/amp/abcnews.go.com/amp/International/wireStory/secretary-general-starts-official-visit-iraq-46460903