FALLUJAH, Iraq, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The restive Iraqi city of Fallujah is nearly deserted, the International Committee of the Red Cross said, and those left behind are in urgent need of help.
Majda Flihi, an ICRC staff member leading aid operations in Fallujah, said much of the population fled a recent wave of violence to find safety in other parts of Iraq.
"Fallujah is deserted yet not abandoned," Flihi said in a statement Tuesday. "The humanitarian situation is dire."
The ICRC said its delivered assistance to more than 20,000 people in the area affected by violence that erupted in late December.
An al-Qaida group in Iraq took control of parts of Ramadi and Fallujah, two main cities in Anbar province. The insurgency evolved in the wake of Sunni protests against Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite seeking a third term in office in April elections.
U.S. troops twice battled insurgents in Anbar before combat operations ended in 2011. The U.S. government said it may provide military equipment to Iraq to help fight al-Qaida but stressed there would be no new boots on the ground.
