Source:
IRINMOSUL, 24 September 2007 (IRIN) - At least five local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have recently closed their offices in Mosul, 390km north of Baghdad, as a result of increased violence against aid workers and volunteers, according to sources within the NGO community.
Of the five, two provided humanitarian assistance to displaced families, one dealt with women's rights and the other two were working with children. One of the latter was supporting children with cancer or psychological problems.
"We had to stop our work in Mosul after three aid workers from local NGOs were killed by extremists… in displacement camps," said Saluwa Abdel-Aziz, a member of a Mosul-based NGO, Iraqi Voices of Freedom.
The five local NGOs - Mosul Human Rights Association, Supporting Children With Cancer, Ruweida Aid Agency and two others which preferred not to be mentioned for security reasons - all received threatening letters telling them to stop their activities in Mosul, Abdel-Aziz said.
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