The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launched on Thursday a 126-million-dollar emergency operation to provide food assistance to more than one million displaced Iraqis, a UN press release said, according to dpa. The aid operation will run until December 2008 and is expected to assist those Iraqis who are unable to meet their basic food needs. The aid will reach 750,000 of the most vulnerable Iraqis displaced within the war-ravaged country, by providing complementary food packages to those who are unable to get their food ration cards. According to an estimate by the UN organization, around 2.2 million Iraqis are displaced within their home country because of continuing violence. Many of those are currently living in poor conditions with host families, in abandoned buildings or camps. "We are facing a growing humanitarian crisis as a result of the continuing violence in Iraq. An increasing number of displaced people cannot meet their food needs and therefore require more help. We hope that the food assistance we provide can help avert a much bigger crisis," said WFP country director for Iraq, Stefano Porretti.
