The Hollywood star and UN Ambassador shared her shock over “the worst devastation,” she has ever seen, as she visits the Iraqi city, which has remained in ruins since the reported liberation from Daesh* militants with the help of the US-led coalition last year. A-list US celebrity Angelina Jolie, who is also a Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has called on the international community to help the people in the war-torn Iraqi city of Mosul, which was only second to Baghdad in terms of population before the war. The Hollywood star walked through the ruins of the destroyed Old City and talked to the local families, who were striving to survive, rebuild their homes and get back to a normal life after three years of Daesh* occupation, a nine-month siege, airstrikes which reduced neighborhoods to rubble and street-battles which pitted Islamic radicals against the Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition. The US actress, who was visiting Iraq for the fifth time, described the damage done to the ancient city as “the worst devastation” she had seen in all her 17 years working with UNHCR. “There are bodies in this rubble that stay here and you can smell the bodies and some of them have family members that are here and they are unable to move them,” she said in a statement. READ MORE: I Buried My Dear Ones in My Own House — Mosul Resident (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO) She stressed that people there have been traumatized and lost everything; that they were left with no homes, no medicine for their children, and often with no running water or basic services, nor assistance to rebuild their homes. She called the conditions in West Mosul “appalling,” with camps near the city full and whole areas flattened. She reprimanded the international community for the assumption that, “when the fighting is over, the work is done.” “I recognize the great sacrifices made in the liberation of Mosul. I hope there will be a continued commitment to rebuilding and stabilizing the whole of the city. And I call on the international community not to forget Mosul and not to turn their attention away from its people,” she said, pointing out that Iraq had taught US leaders “the dangers of leaving a void.” Her tour made international headlines and stirred up the social media, as many Twitter users shared her devastation and praised Jolie for her active compassion. Angelina Jolie visits #Iraq, West Mousel in second day of Eid: “this is the worst devastation I’ve ever seen” Look at her face, her eyes…. This is called humanity♥️#UNICEF #UNHCR pic.twitter.com/D2HBrpO84Z — Fatima🕊🇩🇪 (@sbask_92) 16 июня 2018 г. She inspires me on so many levels. I want to be able to do this — Vanessa Rochelle (@vanessarxxiii23) 16 июня 2018 г. True human — الذيابي احمد (@AlThayabiAhmed) 16 июня 2018 г. Others used her trip to take aim at Trump. Angelina Jolie got to Iraq faster than President Trump. https://t.co/deHkONVK1G — Kevin Baron (@DefenseBaron) 17 июня 2018 г. Hey I was watching CNN for a min because they didnt have any lying trump operatives on at the moment…anyway, angelina jolie was touring Iraq devastation for like the 5th time. Anybody know how many times cheetoh has been to Iraq or Afghanistan? pic.twitter.com/LCOGqt6bTF — Joe Marino (@JoeMarino2017) 16 июня 2018 г. Some, however, criticized Jolie for what they considered hypocrisy… Opportunists International: Angelina Jolie — who backed Washington's 'surge' in #Iraq, which led to the creation of #ISIS / #DAESH, then to the destruction of Mosul and Raqqa — comes back to cry for refugees. Remember this: https://t.co/83zWMK8c2v pic.twitter.com/p5T82cHlN1 — tim anderson (@timand2037) 17 июня 2018 г. The United Nations have been complicit in every Western War since its inception — Nina Notaballerina (@NinaKySt) 17 июня 2018 г. Sorry, I wish that "Angelina Jolie" could see this beautiful city before, it was the most historical beautiful city in #Iraq. pic.twitter.com/El9rX0wXVM — Ghada Alnour (@AlnourGhada) 17 июня 2018 г. Angelina Jolie visiting and "helping" iraq should not be trending haha. Jesus. That's a photo shoot and publicity stunt — Jake Watkins (@watkinsjake1997) 16 июня 2018 г. Angelina needs to bring her ass home and lead the call against this sick US policy of separating kids from their parents & putting them in tent cities!! #EndFamilySeparation — ThatGirlAtTheParty (@tgatp) 16 июня 2018 г. …and slammed the US for the Iraqi interference, which led, according to them, to the destruction of the region and “appalling” consequences. so happy that america liberated them from sadam now they look nice and happy — GazMema (@Gaz_LTC) 16 июня 2018 г. *Daesh is a terror organization, banned in Russia and many countries around the world.<doc-sep>Angelina Jolie visited West Mosul on Saturday, during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Her visit to what was recently a war-torn city comes nearly a year after Mosul was liberated from three years of ISIS control. Jolie — a special envoy for UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency — called on the international community to help rebuild and stabilize the Iraqi city, where she said many people still have no running water, medicine or assistance to rebuild their homes. “This is the worst devastation I’ve seen in all my years with UNHCR,” Jolie said in a video shared by the organization. “These people have lost everything, and the trauma and the loss that they’ve suffered is unparalleled. They’re here on their own with very little support — next to nothing. And they’re rebuilding themselves with their bare hands. They’re moving the rubble with their bare hands.” “There are bodies in this rubble that stay here, and you can smell the bodies, and some of them have family members that are here, and they’re unable to move them. And there is unexploded ordinance,” Jolie said. “And yet they are so happy because the last Eid, they were under occupation and suffering. And this Eid, they have nothing, but they’re free.” Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com.<doc-sep>
Angelina Jolie Visits Iraq on UN Trip Amid New Custody Agreement With Brad Pitt The visit marks the actress' fifth trip to Iraq with the UN Refugee Agency since 2001. Angelina Jolie is continuing her humanitarian work overseas. The 43-year-old actress paid a visit to West Mosul in Iraq on Saturday as part of her trip with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. UNHCR Special Envoy Jolie was visibly emotional as she walked through the city's destruction, nearly one year after it was liberated from ISIS occupation. “This is the worst devastation I have seen in all my years working with UNHCR," she said in front of the ruins of al-Nuri Mosque. "People here have lost everything: their homes are destroyed. They are destitute. They have no medicine for their children, and many have no running water or basic services. They are still surrounded by bodies in the rubble. After the unimaginable trauma of the occupation, they are now trying to rebuild their homes, often with little or no assistance." “I have no words for the strength it must take to rebuild after loss like this. But that is what the people of this city are doing. They are grief-stricken and traumatized, but they are also hopeful. They are clearing their homes with their own hands, and volunteering and helping each other," she added. "But they need our assistance." Andrew McConnell / UNHCR via Getty Images Andrew McConnell / UNHCR via Getty Images Jolie's trip marked her 61st mission and fifth visit to Iraq with the UN Refugee Agency since 2001. The visit came just days after ET learned she and Brad Pitt were ordered a new temporary custody agreement by the court. According to court documents obtained by ET, Jolie was ordered by a judge to help repair her children's relationship with Pitt. A judge determined that the kids "not having a relationship with their father is harmful to them," and the 54-year-old actor will now have more time with his minor children -- 14-year-old Pax, 13-year-old Zahara, 12-year-old Shiloh and 9-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne -- over the summer. A source told ET on Wednesday that the new agreement is a "breakthrough" for Jolie and Pitt, explaining that the two have had little communication with one another leading up to it. Story continues "Angelina and Brad have had to come to terms with the fact that their marriage didn’t work and have had to attempt to let their anger go for the sake of the kids," the source said. "The new custody plans have had a positive effect on how Angelina sees this situation. She loves the kids and she doesn’t want to lose them, so she seems to have started communicating with Brad to make things run smoothly. It's actually a breakthrough after having little to no communication for so long." See more in the video below. Angelina Jolie Ordered to Give Brad Pitt More Time With Kids Watch Entertainment Tonight on Yahoo View. RELATED CONTENT: Billy Bob Thornton Reveals the 'Only Reason' He and Ex-Wife Angelina Jolie Aren't Still Together Angelina Jolie Ordered to Give Brad Pitt More Time With Kids in New Temporary Custody Agreement Why Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's New Custody Agreement Is a 'Breakthrough' for Them (Exclusive) Related Articles: