Floods in Iraq Leave at Least 7 Dead and Thousands Displaced

According to the mayor of the city of Sharqat in northern Iraq, at least 7 people have lost their lives due to flooding in the region, and thousands have been displaced from their homes. The Iraqi state news agency reported that severe flooding has also occurred in the Dhi Qar area in the south of the country, where two people were killed under the rubble of houses destroyed by the flood. According to Reuters, this flooding, which resulted from heavy and unusual rainfall in recent weeks, has increased pressure on the new Iraqi government to improve public services and infrastructure in areas that were the main battlegrounds against the 'Islamic State' group from 2014 to 2017. Critics also accuse the central government of neglecting the situation in these areas and of corruption. Images released by the Iraqi state news agency show people fleeing their homes in Salah al-Din province, where Sharqat is located, as their homes are nearly submerged. The mayor of Sharqat stated, 'About three thousand people have fled their villages and are now homeless.' Local officials in Tikrit, the capital of Salah al-Din province, have requested that rescue helicopters be dispatched to the area to assist in evacuating people.