40 Arabs take refuge in Kurdistan

Some 40 Arab citizens fled from territories under the control of the Islamic State (IS) and surrendered themselves to Peshmerga forces in Makhmur-Gwer front-line.

ERBIL (K24) – Some 40 Arab citizens fled from territories under the control of the Islamic State (IS) and surrendered themselves to Peshmerga forces in Makhmur-Gwer front-line. Peshmerga Commander, Mariwan Karim Akha told a K24 reporter on Tuesday that the Iraqi citizens came from the surrounding villages of Mosul city, and after necessary investigations will be delivered to the relevant factions to be provided with accommodation and other requisites.

The escaped people, all of whom were Arabs, told K24 that bad living conditions under the IS control made them flee from their villages where they constantly struggled with torture, unemployment, lack of electricity power and food. So they reached out to Peshmerga forces where they were welcomed and aided to find a safe home.

Since Mosul’s control by jihadists last year, people from different ethnic and religious groups, especially minorities like Christians and Yezidi Kurds, sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region, specifically northern Iraq.

In 2014, more than 1.3 million Iraqi people have been displaced as a result of jihadist’s violence. Some have found a place in camps and some others in schools and semi-finished buildings.

In August 2014, IS Sunni militants attacked Makhmur town only 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Kurdistan Region’s capital, Erbil when the U.S.-led coalition began its air strikes while Peshmerga forces also confronted them on the ground and forced jihadists to leave the region.