100,000 Iraqis Flee Their Homes In The Last Month

December 28, 2006 - 100,000 Iraqis flee their homes in the last month

More than 108,000 Iraqis have left their homes and registered as refugees in the last month, a senior official has said. Since the February 22 bombing of a Shi'ite shrine that sparked a wave of sectarian killings between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunnis, about 432,000 Iraqis have fled their homes, Deputy Migration Minister Hamdiya Ahmad said.

"The main reason behind the rise of displaced families is the deterioration of the security situation and the death threats that people have received to flee their houses, in addition to the bombing of safe areas," she said. In Baghdad alone, 42,000 Iraqis have left their homes since the bombing of Samarra. Baghdad has a population of seven million.

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