TIKRIT, Iraq, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Conflict in Iraq's western Anbar province is making it hard for displaced refugees to cope during rough winter months, the ICRC said Wednesday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it estimated at least 12,000 people have been displaced by conflict in restive Anbar, a predominately Sunni province.
"People are struggling hard to cope with the cold as blankets, mattresses and food are lacking," ICRC delegate Rashid Hasan said in a statement from Tikrit, a city north of the fighting.
The ICRC said many displaced civilians were fleeing Anbar to surrounding provinces.
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 during April elections.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met in Baghdad this week with Maliki, calling on him to ensure the Iraqi political climate is inclusive. Maliki is accused of marginalizing members of the Sunni community.
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.
