Iraqis displaced from Mosul still facing protracted hardship: UNHCR

Two years after the Iraqi city of Mosul was captured by Islamic State forces, 500,000 civilians are struggling to survive as an upsurge in fighting threatens to displace more people, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) indicated Friday.

A recent military offensive carried out by Iraqi Security Forces in the vicinity of Iraq's second largest city is spurring additional displacement, the agency explained, with Iraqi authorities estimating that 30,000 more people could be forced to flee their homes in the coming months.

According to a UNHCR assessment which surveyed 5,000 displaced families across Iraq, most of those who fled the northern city face economic hardship as work is extremely difficult to come by.

Figures show that 82 percent of families who have been uprooted do not have enough money to cover basic needs.

This has led to a rise in levels of child marriage which is twice as common among those displaced from Mosul than those living in other parts of the country, UNHCR explained.

According to the agency, most (300,000) of those who were forced to flee fighting two years ago have found refuge in Dohuk governorate of the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.

The remaining 200,000 have found shelter in other parts of the war-ravaged country. Endit