And the rate at which Iraqis are being displaced is increasing. Figures given by the Ministry for Displacement and Migration show a doubling in the last two weeks of the number of Iraqis forced to move.

People have been receiving threatening text messages and gruesome videos filmed on mobile phone cameras.

In one, a Sunni Iraqi man who entered a mainly Shia neighbourhood of Baghdad is seen being beaten and killed by men in black clothes.

The video was then sent out with the warning that this is what would happen to any other Sunni who came to the area.

The Red Crescent is providing food, water, blankets, and kerosene to 5,000 families.

Some displaced people are living in makeshift camps, others are living with relatives or friends, or have moved into ruined buildings or other structures.

Some displaced Iraqis, the Red Crescent says, are hesitant to move to camps, concerned that the camps will become the target of attacks.

BBC