Iraq’s Bid to Recapture Mosul May Cost $1.8Bln in Relief Funds – OCHA

The UN humanitarian affairs agency OCHA warned Monday that an Iraqi military campaign to retake the Islamist-held city of Mosul will trigger an exodus that will require almost $2 billion to tackle.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Up to 1.5 million are estimated to live in the northern Iraqi city, which serves as a stronghold to the Daesh terror group. All or the majority of them will flee once the operation begins, OCHA predicts.

"The impact of the Mosul military campaign on civilians will be devastating…The funding required for Mosul will depend on the scope, type and length of the military campaign," the agency said in its Humanitarian Response Plan for Iraq.

OCHA estimates that, "in a worst case, nearly US$1.8 billion may be required." "Partners require a minimum of $284 million at least 2.5 months before the operation starts; if funding comes on stream only after the operation starts, partners will be unable to respond appropriately."

Iraq’s spring campaign to reclaim Fallujah strained the agency’s capacity to provide assistance to those displaced by fighting. OCHA said that not a single agency has been able to start preparing so far for the humanitarian operation in Mosul.