Starting in January 2014, ISIS took over large areas of Anbar and Ninewa governorates, as well as areas of Kirkuk and elsewhere. Operations to clear these areas from ISIS control and prepare for an advance on Mosul – a city 400 km north of Baghdad currently under ISIS control – have been occurring since 2015. On 17 October 2016, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi announced that military operations to re-take Mosul from ISIS had commenced.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been helping people affected by humanitarian crisis for 90 years. Read about our history, our achievements and our innovative approach to solving big problems.

The International Rescue Committee has documented the devastating consequences of attacks on health facilities as a strategy of war.

Violence is a daily reality for many adolescent girls around the world, largely due to deeply entrenched social norms and practises that perpetuate gender inequality.

International Rescue Committee aid worker Zvidzai Maburutse, originally from Zimbabwe and based in Yemen's capital city of Sana’a, writes about the heavy toll the war has taken on the entire country, and on the humanitarian agencies struggling to reach those who desperately need lifesaving assistance.