DUBAI, August, 5 (RIA Novosti) - The advance of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group in Northern Iraq has displaced about 200,000 people, most of them coming from the Yazidi ethnic minority.
Scores of them had to flee their homes as jihadists seized the Sinjar and Tal Afar districts in the country’s northern Ninewah Province. The United Nations’ division in Iraq has warned of a looming catastrophe for Yazidi people cut off from humanitarian support.
UN special representative of the secretary general for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, urged the country’s authorities to “work with the UN to ensure the delivery of life saving humanitarian assistance." He has also called on the Kurdistan Regional Government, embattling the jihadists, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The Yazidis are branded devil worshippers by Sunni radicals from ISIS. According to the UN report, many of them are now locked in the mountains of Northern Iraq, surrounded by ISIS forces.
Mladenov has confirmed BBC reports that supplies, including food and medication, are ready to be moved to the area. This comes as the Iraqi prime minister ordered the country's Air Force to help the Kurds fight Sunni militias occupying the area.
A former al-Qaeda affiliate, ISIS, previously known for fighting against the Syrian government, launched a full-scale offensive on Northern Iraq in June, declaring the Islamic caliphate state on the gained territory. Last Sunday, Sunni militants took control of three major cities in Ninewah, including Sinjar.
