3.6 million Iraqis displaced, 600,000 returned: Migration Ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Ministry of Migration and Displacement in Iraq revealed on Sunday the official statistics of displaced people following the emergence of jihadists in the country.

In June 2014, the so-called Islamic State (IS) emerged in northern Iraq and spread to Nineveh, Salahaddin, Anbar and Diyala provinces in the country.

Following the emergence of IS, people started to leave their homes and seek security elsewhere. Many came to the Kurdistan Region, others to southern provinces of Iraq, and some fled abroad.

In a statement published on Monday, the Ministry of Migration and Displacement in Iraq said that since June 2014 until now, 3.6 million Iraqis have been displaced in the country.

The ministry mentioned that most of the displaced people reside in the Kurdistan Region, as well as central and southern provinces of Iraq.

According to the Kurdish officials, Kurdistan is home to almost two million refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), making up about 30 percent of the population of the Region.

Additionally, the Iraqi ministry revealed that out of the 3.6 million, only 600,000 Iraqis have returned to their liberated territories.

Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces have freed large swaths of territory in Iraq from IS, but according to them, some obstacles prevent the displaced people from returning home.

Firstly, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by jihadists in different places which need to be cleared by engineering teams prevent people from returning.

Secondly, most of the areas freed by security forces are destroyed, and public services are damaged, including the destruction of civilians’ houses.

Most neighborhoods are ruined due to the clashes between security forces and IS, as well as international coalition airstrikes that target the insurgents’ bases.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany