UN Humanitarian Briefing on Iraq

There have not been any significant refugee movements since the war began two weeks ago.

Looking back 12 years to the 1991 Gulf war, fewer than 19,000 Iraqis fled into neighbouring countries during the first two weeks following the start of that conflict on 17 January 1991.

While history so far has not repeated itself, in order to ensure that states in the Iraq region are in a position to assist any eventual refugee flows, we have already pre-positioned items for more than 300,000 people.

Our current stocks include more than 954,000 blankets, 64,000 family tents, 216,000 mattresses, 151,000 water/fuel cans, 76,000 lanterns, 70,000 stoves, 56,000 kitchen sets, tons of plastic sheeting, soap, hygienic items and 21 prefabricated warehouses. As goods are off-loaded from ships and transported to our principal warehouses in Aqaba, Iskenderun, and Ahwaz, items are also being shifted to forward stockpiles throughout the region.