United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Iraq on Thursday amid a growing humanitarian crisis due to months-long fighting against ISIL group in Mosul.
Shortly after landing in Baghdad International Airport, Guterres said on Twitter that his visit is to "focus on the dire humanitarian situation on the ground." Amid reports of dozens of civilians killed by airstrikes in Mosul, he added that "protection of civilians must be the absolute priority."
Screenshot of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's Twitter feed.
Guterres planned to meet Iraq's president, prime minister and parliament speaker before heading north to visit camps sheltering people displaced by the Mosul conflict, the spokesman for the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) Samir Ghattas said.
The fight to retake the city has triggered a humanitarian crisis, with more than 350,000 people have fled the fighting, according to UN figures.
(Source: AP)
6301km
