Angelina Jolie visits children and families in Iraqi camp for 33,000 refugees fleeing war in Syria
- Acclaimed actress toured refugee camp a day after meeting families in Mosul
- The star said it was the 'worst devastation' she's ever seen during time with UN
- She called on the international community not to forget those displaced by war
Angelina Jolie witnessed the 'worst devastation' she's ever seen on a trip to Mosul
A day after walking bombed out streets of war-torn Mosul, Angelina Jolie toured a refugee camp holding 33,000 refugees as a result of seven-year conflict in Syria.
The Hollywood star called the scene of destruction in Iraq as 'the worst' she's ever seen during her 17-year humanitarian work with United Nations.
'This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR. People here have lost everything,' Jolie said in a statement.
She also highlighted a lack of medical aid for inhabitants of the Domiz camp, a site she has visited three times in the past six years.
'They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services.'
The Hollywood A-lister visited Domiz refugee camp, home to 33,000 displaced by war in Syria
Angelina Jolie told a press conference 'not to forget Mosul' after touring a refugee camp
A family stands outside their home in the Domiz camp for Syrian refugees where Jolie visited
'I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilising the whole of the city,' she said.
'I call on the international community not to forget Mosul.'
The actress spent the morning visiting families in the Domiz, a UN official said.
Her statement comes a day after she was greeted by fans in parts of Mosul where many of the buildings had been reduced to rubble.
UN special envoy Angelina Jolie is recognised by a young fan in Iraq when she visited the war-torn city of Mosul yesterday
The actress was evidently moved by her surroundings which saw some 8,300 destroyed by war
Normality has returned to parts of the northern Iraqi city as it rebuilds, but getting displaced residents back home has been slow.
Islamic Satte militants had occupied Mosul for three years and turned it into a stronghold of a 'caliphate' in a campaign that saw 900,000 residents flee.
Two years after it was retaken from ISIS, more than 70 per cent of the city remains damaged or destroyed, according to the provincial council.
In 2017, a Kurdish intelligence chief told the Independent that some 40,000 lives had been claimed in a devastating battle to retake Mosul from ISIS.
Residents of the besieged city were killed by Iraqi ground forces attempting to force out militants - while airstrikes razed buildings with hundreds of souls inside according to Kurdish intelligence services.
Jolie has worked for UN High Commissioner for Refugees since 2001, visiting uprooted civilians from Iraq to Cambodia and Kenya. This is her fifth visit to Iraq.
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