Over 6,500 families displaced by violence in Ramadi, Iraq

More than 6,500 families have been displaced as Islamic State militant group have reached the Iraqi city of Ramadi, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said here Monday at a daily news briefing.

Among the 6,500 families that have fled Ramadi, capital of Iraq 's largest province Anbar, over 3,300 families have moved towards the Fallujah area and more than 2,300 families traveled towards the Khalidiyah area, said Haq.

Khaldiyah Hospital has reported receiving many casualties, and the local authorities have requested assistance from the international agencies, said Haq.

UN agencies and humanitarian partners have responded by dispatching food rations, family food packages, tents, sanitation and water kits, conducting joint delivery missions and assessing the needs of families who have fled to safety, said Haq.

Two mobile medical units have been pre-positioned and additional oxygen supplies are being released for Khaldiyah Hospital, said Haq.

The city Ramadi has been engulfed in fierce battle recently. The Islamic State militant group on Sunday took full control of the city. On Monday, Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite and Sunni militias are building up at a nearby military base in Anbar, preparing for a major counter-offensive to recapture Ramadi. Enditem