Over 70% of displaced families return back to Shirqat: Mayor

Shirqat (IraqiNews.com)

Over seventy percent of families displaced from recently liberated region in north of Salahuddin have been repatriated, an official said.

Ali al-Dawdah, Shirqat mayor, “the water project has been operated in the town, in addition to the health center. We are still waiting for the Electricity Ministry to re-operate the stations.”

“The angry tribes in the town held a meeting during which they rejected the return of Islamic State members’ families due to the crimes committed in the town,” Dawdah told Mawazin News.

He also indicated waiting for the military engineering department to set up the floating bridge, which links between the two coasts of Shirqat. “We were promised that the work on re-opening the bridge will start within two days.”

“All schools returned back to work,” he said, adding that situations are returning back to normal.

In late September, Federal Police announced liberation of the eastern side of Shirqat town, north of the province, killing more than 200 militants in the operations.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and the Joint Operations Command declared in September the launch of first phase of operations to liberate Hawija and eastern Shirqat, located north of Salahuddin.

The Iraqi army said in September 2016 its forces recaptured the western coast of Shirqat, located south of Mosul, on the west bank of the Tigris river, after being surrounded for months by Iraqi troops and the pro-government Shi’ite militias.