(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Angelina Jolie visited the Iraqi city of Mosul on Saturday, urging the international community to work to help stabilize the region nearly one year after it was freed from ISIS control.
Jolie, a special envoy for UNHCR — United Nations Refugee Agency — was visiting the country's second-largest city during the Muslim holiday, Eid al-Fitr, which concludes the holy month of Ramadan.
“This is the worst devastation I’ve seen in all my years with UNHCR,” Jolie said in statement from UNHCR.
Photos and video provided by organization show Jolie, a special envoy for the UN refugee agency, walking among ruined buildings and bombed streets in West Mosul, where she met with residents of the city.
Speaking in front of the remains of the al-Nuri Mosque, Jolie reflected on the devastation seen by the city under ISIS's three-year control and the battle to rid Mosul of the extremist group's presence.
"We often tend to assume, as an international community, that when the fighting is over, the work is done," she said. "But the conditions I observed here in West Mosul are appalling."
"Displacement is still happening. The camps near the city are still full. Whole areas of West Mosul remain flattened," she continued.
Jolie said "enabling people to return and stabilizing the city is essential for the future stability of Iraq and the region."
The visit marked Jolie's fifth trip to Iraq during her 17 years with UNHCR, Reuters reported.
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17 June 2018 - 08:16
News ID: 897842
Angelina Jolie visited the Iraqi city of Mosul on Saturday, urging the international community to work to help stabilize the region nearly one year after it was freed from ISIS control.
