In Pictures

In Pictures: Iraq’s children seek safety

Iraqi families have sought shelter at a refugee camp near the country’s Kurdish region, after fleeing major violence.

Four children from Mosul collect water for their families at the Khazir refugee camp.

Khazir refugee camp, Iraq – Last month, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were forced to flee the conflict in north Iraq as the Islamic State group captured cities including Mosul and Talafar.

While thousands quickly sought safety with family and friends, or at hotels, in Iraq’s Kurdish region, hundreds of others were forced to take respite at the Khazir refugee camp, 50km east of Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul. The camp now holds 2,000 people, according to the United Nations World Food Programme.

After an influx of an unprecedented number of internally displaced Iraqis, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) put tight restrictions on who it allowed to go through the checkpoint on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish region.

Many arrived at the camp with nothing but the clothes on their back, and told stories of horror and fear as the Islamic State group swept through their cities. Some families have also been forced to sleep on the side of the road in the blistering heat as they await a visa to enter the Kurdish region.

Kurdish Peshmerga officers at the checkpoint into Erbil told Al Jazeera that non-Kurdish Iraqis – Christians being the only exception – must apply for a visa or get a Kurdish sponsor to gain entry.

Hundreds of tents were hastily set up for those fleeing from the Islamic State group(***)s advances in Iraq.

Camp residents live under difficult conditions, including 45C heat and frequent sandstorms.

Many families have been forced to live in squalor as they wait for permission to enter Erbil, the capital of Iraq(***)s Kurdish region.

Two children play next to piles of rubbish at the camp.

Children fill up water bottles at one of the wells at the camp.

Kurdish Peshmerga check people(***)s IDs as they enter Erbil. Non-Kurdish Iraqis - with the exception of Christians - must secure a permit before entering Iraq(***)s Kurdish region.

A young boy and his five siblings sit in the back of the family(***)s truck as they wait for permission to cross the checkpoint.

A young boy from Talafar stands at the entrance to the camp.

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