Iraqi government: nearly 22.000 refugees repatriated in Mosul in 4 days
Iraqi refugees in Mosul
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Nearly 22.000 Iraqi refugees have been repatriated to their home regions in Mosul over the past four days, the Iraqi Migration and Displacement Ministry said Monday.
Refugee camps in Nineveh and Dohuk saw 21.743 leaving to their home regions in Mosul over the past four days, according to a statement by the ministry.
The ministry said last week that 15.000 people had been repatriated in Nineveh in two days.
Earlier this month, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande, said “More than 5.4 million civilians have been displaced in Iraq since 2014.”
Iraqi authorities had unveiled plans to repatriate all refugees before this year’s end. The government will soon launch an offensive to retake Islamic State’s last holdouts in Iraq at western Anbar. A campaign backed by a U.S.-led coalition and paramilitary troops had managed to retake major group bastions, most notably Mosul, the group’s former capital.
Local and international rights agencies have repeatedly highlighted poor living conditions at Islamic State-held areas. IS militants had regularly executed civilians attempting to flee their havens. Officials have also occasionally pointed out that refugees were reluctant to return home due to the severe damage to infrastructure.