Yezidi IDPs suffering under heavy snow near Iraq's Sinjar MountainsDecember 19, 2016 - 13:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Heavy snowfall has endangered the lives of hundreds of Yezidi Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on Mount Shingal(Sinjar Mountains) in Iraq, said a local official, urging the government and organizations to reach out to them, Rudaw reports. “Nearly 50 centimeters of snow has fallen on Mount Shingal, endangering the lives of the refugees there,” said Mahma Khalil, Shingal’s (Sinjar) mayor. Khalil explained that nearly 9,000 families have been suffering the bad winter weather in Shingal and its surroundings. They need fuel, food, clothes and electricity, he said. He called on the government and international organizations to assist the suffering families. He noted that the Baghdad’s migration minister had provided each family with a barrel of oil, but it is not enough to fight the cold weather of winter, Khalil said. He went on to explain that “at least 3,000 families live under tents and 5,040 families in the complexes suffering lack of electricity.” Shingal, which is a predominantly Yezidi town, was captured by ISIS in August 2014 and liberated by Kurdish forces in November 2015. Its population was entirely displaced with many of them killed and taken captive by the militant group who carried out genocide against the minority population. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |