Among those who have fled recent battles in Tal Afar are approximately 1,400 foreign nationals, all of them women and children. They were, until yesterday, held in a militarised site, with their freedom of movement restricted. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) were meeting the basic needs of this displaced group by providing food, water, and sanitation services, such as hygiene kits.
Yesterday, Iraqi authorities transferred this group from a site south of Mosul, to Tel Keif. NRC demands that the Government of Iraq disclose the exact location of these people and the reasons for their transfer. Humanitarian organisations should be granted unhindered access to the location where they are so that these organisations can continue to provide assistance and monitor their conditions.
“These women and children are extremely vulnerable. Regardless of what their family members may be accused of, they have a right to protection and assistance,” said Julie Davidson, Deputy Country Director, NRC. “Humanitarian organisations and representatives from their home countries should be allowed to offer to them help.”
NRC holds grave fears for this group of people, most of whom are children. The organization calls upon the governments of the foreign nationals, which include Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia and Tajikistan, as well as the Iraqi authorities to move swiftly and clarify the status of these individuals, and offer effective guarantees of their fundamental rights.