7 Iraqi refugees burnt to death in Kirkuk

By Othman al-Shalash

SALADIN, Iraq (AA) - Seven Iraqi refugees were burnt to death Monday in the northern province of Kirkuk, according to an Iraqi official.

A tent caught fire in the Layan refugee camp in the southeastern parts of Kirkuk, killing a father and his six children, the mayor of the northern city of Baiji, Mohamed Mahmoud, told Anadolu Agency.

It was unclear what had caused the fire.

Located 200 kilometers north of Baghdad, Baiji has been left in havoc due to clashes between Daesh militants and Iraqi forces, who captured the city last year.

The city’s residents are currently scattered in refugee camps in Kirkuk and other Iraqi provinces.

Mahmoud called on the Iraqi government to work to return Baiji residents to their homes in the city.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh captured the northern city of Mosul – now the subject of a large offensive to retake it – and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.

According to the UN, more than 3.4 million people are now displaced in Iraq – more than half of them children – while more than 10 million are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.