MOSUL, Iraq, March 10 (UPI) -- The safety of the Christian minority community in northern Iraq is of utmost concern as the rate of displacement soars, U.N. agencies said.
U.N. figures show the number of displaced Christians in Iraq rose by more than 800 people in a three-day period beginning March 1. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it was concerned for the minority religious community.
"Protection remains an ongoing concern for the Christian community as well as other vulnerable groups remaining in Mosul," an OCHA report said.
U.N. and local authorities said they were working to provide food and other humanitarian aid to the Christians who fled their homes in Mosul, the capital city of Ninawa province.
The United Nations said the Kurdistan Regional Government told local universities to open enrollment to displaced Christians after it was revealed they were afraid to attend classes in their hometowns.
The Kurdish and Arab authorities are at odds over security issues in the north. A spate of attacks rocked the Christian community of Iraq in 2008, displacing nearly half of the population.