9,000 civilians displaced from Hawija since operations launch: Ministry
Families fleeing ISIS-held city of Hawija.
In a statement on Thursday, the ministry said, “total number of the displaced who arrived at the refugee camps near Kirkuk reached 9,000. Around 3,000 of whom were transferred to one of the camps near Mosul over doubts of links to Islamic State.”
The ministry indicated offering aid to the displaced.
On Tuesday, United Nations said an estimated 12,500 civilians have fled their homes in Hawija since the start of the Iraqi operation on September 21, and nearly 78,000 people could still be trapped in their homes.
Joint Operations Command’s top general, Abdul-Amir Yarallah, said army, Federal Police, Rapid Response Forces and the Popular Mobilization forces announced on Thursday taking over the town of Hawija. 98 villages were seized back, while 196 militants were killed.
On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and the Joint Operations Command announced beginning of the second phase of Hawija offensive.
According to Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell, 557 IS militants were killed, while more than 100 villages and regions were liberated during the first phase.