Third attack reported on displaced persons camp near Iraqi capital

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that another attack occurred at Al Salam camp for displaced families, south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, earlier Wednesday, the third one during the past three months, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

"Three mortar shells were fired into the camp, one falling in the centre of the camp and two others falling in a market area, injuring four children who have been taken to hospital for treatment," said Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman.

UNHCR strongly condemned the attack, he said.

On July 5, three people were reportedly killed and 13 others injured in an attack on Al Salam camp, also known as Al-Takia camp, UNHCR said.

UNHCR has been working in Al Salam, the largest camp for internally displaced persons in Baghdad, with its partners to provide upgraded shelters for families who had fled from Salah al Din and Anbar governorates in 2014 and 2015. There are currently 1,550 families -- more than 6,000 people -- living at the site.

The latest Iraq Displacement Tracking Matrix, conducted by the International Organization for Migration, identified 3,418,332 internally displaced Iraqis -- 569,722 families -- from Jan. 1, 2014 through March 31, 2016.

Considering the available information, the UN Humanitarian Country Team has increased the humanitarian response planning figure from 3.3 million to 3.4 million internally displaced persons. Endit