Over 4,000 Iraqis displaced by recent military operations: UN relief agency

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that recent military operations in and near Iraq's Sinjar District have displaced over 4,000 people on Nov. 12-17, a UN spokesman told reporters here Wednesday.

"Preliminary information indicates that people had to flee rapidly and have no belongings," Stephane Dujarric, the UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

Of those, some 1,000 people have reached Dahuk Governorate, he noted. "Humanitarian groups have begun to assess their needs and provide emergency assistance, including food and medical aid."

"Security in areas directly affected by the military operation remains fluid," the spokesman said.

"Humanitarian officials continue to call on all parties to the conflict to respect international law and ensure the protection of civilians and property during and after military operations," he said.

Iraqi security forces on Monday fought fiercely with Islamic State (IS) militants and retook control of two areas in and near the IS-held city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, while a total of 54 people were killed in clashes with IS militants in Anbar and Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin.

In Iraq's western province of Anbar, the security forces and allied paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, made an advance in southwest of the provincial capital city of Ramadi, some 110 km west of the capital Baghdad, and managed to seize the railway station and the southern part of adjacent Khamsa Kilo suburb.

A total of 22 IS militants and four security members were killed, and at least six IS vehicles were destroyed in the fierce battle, the sources said, citing initial reports.

The military operations in Anbar province came as part of broader fightings by Iraqi security forces and allied militias to retake control of key cities and towns in Iraq's largest province from the extremist IS militants, which seized most of Anbar and tried to advance toward Baghdad.

In Salahudin province, IS militants carried out an attack on the security forces at Mak'houl mountain in north of the oil refinery town of Baiji, some 200 km north of the Iraq capital of Baghdad, and the attackers managed to seize part of the mountain and the nearby abandoned fertilizer plant.

So far, at least six paramilitary members were killed and 15 others wounded, the source said, adding that Iraqi aircraft participated in battles against IS militants, while reinforcement Hashd Shaabi paramilitary fighters arrived later in the day to the scene where heavy clashes continued to clear the area from IS militants.

The attacks in Salahudin province came as the security forces and allied Hashd Shaabi militias have been pushing on toward IS stronghold in the city of Shirqat, some 280 km north of Baghdad, and the town of Hawijah, some 90 km west of the northern city of Kirkuk, to free them from the extremist militants.

Iraq has been witnessing some of the worst violence in years. Terrorism and violence have left at least 12,282 civilians killed and 23,126 others injured in 2014, making it the deadliest year since the sectarian violence in the 2006-2007 period, according to a recent UN report. Endi