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UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien has expressed deep concern for the plight of civilians trapped in the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah, where a major military operation against the Islamic State is taking place, a UN spokesman said here Thursday.
An estimated 50,000 civilians, including at least 20,000 children, are unable to leave, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news brieing here.
O'Brien, who is also the UN emergency relief coordinator, said that civilians must be allowed to freely move to safer areas and all who flee must be granted aid and protection.
"All parties to this conflict are obliged to abide by international humanitarian and human rights law and do everything possible to protect civilians," Dujarric said.
"It is vital that aid workers are guaranteed safe, secure and unhampered access in this fluid and dangerous environment," the spokesman added.
As the fierce battle in Fallujah unfolded, the UN Children's Fund warned about the fate of at least 200,000 children there, joining other UN agencies and humanitarian organizations urging authorities to protect civilians.
After more than a week of operations aimed at retaking Fallujah, which lies just 50 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the Iraqi army -- made up of the military, police and Shia units, and backed by air power from a U.S.-led coalition -- has been unable to reach the city center.
The operation for Fallujah has come at a dire human cost, with thousands of civilians trapped between Islamic State fighters and the advancing Iraqi army.
