This story is free to read.

UN chief: More funding needed for Iraq programs

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, meets with Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri, right, in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March 30, 2017. Guterres arrived in Iraq amid a growing humanitarian crisis due to months-long fighting against the Islamic State group in Mosul, as the extremist group claimed responsibility for an overnight suicide attack in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Ali Abdul Hassan) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, left, meets with Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri, right, in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March 30, 2017. Guterres arrived in Iraq amid a growing humanitarian crisis due to months-long fighting against the Islamic State group in Mosul, as the extremist group claimed responsibility for an overnight suicide attack in Baghdad. (AP Photo/Ali Abdul Hassan)

By Associated Press March 31, 2017 1 min read

HASSAN SHAM CAMP, Iraq (AP) – The United Nations chief is calling for more funding for U.N. programs in Iraq, saying international solidarity is needed with the people of Mosul.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited a camp for displaced persons about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Mosul on Friday. He says: “These people have suffered enormously and they go on suffering.”

Guterres said U.N. programs were funded at only 8 percent in Iraq this year.

An estimated 215,000 people are currently displaced as a result of the ongoing military operations to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group, according to the U.N.