Mosul, Iraq: 1.74 million refugees in 11 months of war
Displaced children who fled the clashes queue to receive aid from Iraqi security forces in Antesaar neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq, January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi migration authorities have counted more than 1.074 million refugees since the launch of operations to retake major Islamic State strongholds in October 2016, including Mosul, Iraq.
The number of refugees from Nineveh, Kirkuk’s Hawija and Salahuddin’s Shirqat has reached 1.074.91, according to Migration and Displacement Minister Jassem al-Jaff, quoted in a ministry statement.
Those included 1.000852 from Nineveh, 43874 from Hawija and 29365 from Shirqat, the minister said, adding that his ministry was prepared for further flows of refugees as operations launched this week to liberate Islamic State-held towns in Anbar, Kirkuk and Salahuddin.
The war against Islamic State militants, who took over large areas of Iraq in 2014, has displaced nearly three million people, according to Iraqi government figures.
In august, Nour-Eddin Qablan, vice president of the Nineveh province council, said 50% of displaced civilians had returned to their home regions in western Mosul.
The Iraqi government plans to repatriate all refugees by the end of 2017.
More than 12,000 refugees have returned to their home regions in Mosul over the past week, an Iraqi government official said Tuesday.
Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops, recaptured Mosul from IS militants early July.