Number of Islamic State members’ families on the rise in Anbar as displaced people return back home

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) The number of families of Islamic State members has been growing as hundreds of displaced families returned to their regions, a security source from Anbar police said on Sunday.

Speaking to Almaalomah website on Sunday, the source said “number of IS families in Hit city and surrounding regions reached 150 families, which indicate terrorist operations that could target security troops and civilians, given that those families provide the militants with information about security personnel in order to target them.”

“The presence of those families in Hit threaten safety and stability of the region. Displacing them could be hard due to pressures by rights groups,” the source added.

Thousands of IS militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition, was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group.

In December, Abadi announced full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members. However, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country.

As many as 3,298 civilians were killed and 4,781 others were wounded in 2017, excluding Anbar civilian casualty figures for November and December, which are not available, UNAMI said in a report in December.