The United Nations has raised the red flag of its highest emergency threat level for Iraq, citing the dire needs of 1.2 million refugees due to Islamic State terrorism.
The “Level 3 Emergency” declaration will now “facilitate mobilization of additional resources in goods, funds and assets to ensure a more effective response to the humanitarian needs of populations affected by forced displacements,” said U.N. special representative Nickolay Mladenov, BBC reported.
Those on Mount Sinjar fleeing Islamic State terrorism face a critical situation, he said.
Tens of thousands of Christians and religious minorities have fled to the mountain to hide from the wrath of the Islamic State, BBC said.
The United States just sent a small assessment team to the site and reported back that those on the mountain were in better condition than feared and that a rescue-and-evacuation mission wasn’t likely, BBC reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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