100,000 Iraqi families flee sectarian violence

Sectarian violence has forced about 100,000 families across Iraq to flee their homes, a top Iraqi official said. At least 17 people have been killed in fighting.

Adil Abdul-Mahdi, one of the country’s two vice presidents, estimated that 100,000 Iraqi families – 90% of them his fellow Shiites – had fled their homes to escape attacks by rival religious sects.