Military solution not enough to defeat IS in Iraq: UN envoy

UN Special Representative for Iraq Jan Kubis said Thursday that a military solution alone will not be enough to defeat Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, adding that the government needs to restore civilian responsibility for security.

In briefing the Security Council Thursday, Kubis, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), said he heard this message from Iraqi political representatives and suggested the government of Iraq must restore the confidence of disaffected communities that they will assume a share in the country's ability to ensure their protection from violence.

"As a priority, the government needs to urgently continue taking measures to restore civilian responsibility for security and the rule of law in the liberated areas," he said.

The security situation in the country has drastically deteriorated when bloody clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and hundreds of militants from the IS.

The militants took control of the country's northern city of Mosul and later seized swathes of territories after Iraqi security forces abandoned their posts in Nineveh and other predominantly Sunni provinces.

Valerie Amos, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, also briefed the Council on the humanitarian situation in Iraq, saying that the number of Iraqis requesting humanitarian assistance has grown to more than 8.2 million people, an increase of 3 million people in the past five months.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), nearly 7 million people, or 20 percent of the country's population, are unable to access essential health services, water and sanitation services due to the country's conflict.

Kubis stressed the international community's assistance for Iraq and its people through "continuous and long-term adequate political, financial, and material support" remain critical if the country is to turn its opportunities into reality. Endite