Aid required urgently for Al-Mahmoudya

Al-Mahmoudya city, about 20 km southeast of Baghdad and the base for British troops recently deployed in the area, is facing medical, food and water needs amid a deteriorating security situation. Some families have begun to leave the city and say that those who remain are risking their lives. Many of those leaving for Baghdad are doing so with just a few belongings. "I'm going to Baghdad to try to find a relative or a friend who can receive us in their homes. My sons cannot sleep at night and threats are everywhere. This is not life. It's a horror film," Abbas Di Lemi, a father of six, told IRIN. Dr Mustafa Aydany from the local hospital told IRIN that if serious fighting began they could offer little treatment for the injured. He said a shortage of medicines and emergency materials would mean that most of those injured in any fighting in the city would probably have to be sent to Baghdad. Leaflets have been distributed, forbidding women from leaving their homes without covering their heads with scarves and wearing traditional clothing, and threatening those who ignored such instructions. According to medical officials in the city, two women have been killed because they ignored such instructions. Other orders issued by the insurgents are that no families should leave their homes and that shops, schools and government offices should remain closed. The insurgents warn of a "new Fallujah" in the city. "We want tradition and religion to take precedence over everything. We won't give space for the British army to get close to us, no matter what is done," an insurgent from an Islamic group told IRIN. Shopkeepers say the situation will become worse. They cannot open their shops because of the threats and most families are unprepared for that, so food supplies have become a problem. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), insecurity has prevented the delivery of essential supplies to the city. "It's a very critical situation. Even before [the current crisis] the city's condition was a disaster," ICRC spokesman Ahmed Rawi told IRIN. About 200 families have taken refuge in mosques five km from Al-Mahmoudya. They are facing a shortage of medicines, blankets and potable water. The Ministry of Migration says it hasn't been informed about this, but that specialists have been sent to study the needs of the internally displaced people (IDPs). The Iraq Red Crescent Society says it is studying the possibility of building a camp near the city for those who have fled. It adds that it has called on other NGOs to prepare themselves for fighting. The problems began with the recent deployment of British forces in new positions in an area near Baghdad dubbed the triangle of death. The move prompted an angry reaction by some in the area, who vowed that they would not permit the arrival of the troops. The area is seen as a stronghold of insurgents. But many civilians disagree, and say that if the new Iraqi government is unable to provide security for the area then it may be better to have the British army do so. "I prefer to have the British troops here than be totally without security in the area. We are not asking for more than laying our heads on our pillows and sleeping at least one night in peace," Leila Al-Abdul Lattif, a civilian in Al- Mahmoudya, told IRIN.