Thousands displaced from Fallujah: Iraqi official

By Muayed Tarafi

BAGHDAD (AA) – More than 12,000 Iraqi families have fled Fallujah, which was recaptured by the Iraqi army from Daesh group, since last month, according to the Ministry of Migration and Displacement.

“Around 12,250 families have been displaced from Fallujah” since the army launched an offensive last month to liberate the city, ministry spokesman Star Noroz told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

The city was recaptured by the Iraqi army earlier this week after a more than month-long offensive against Daesh militants.

According to Noroz, only 700,000 people have returned to their homes, out of 3.7 people, who have been forced to flee Daesh-held areas.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh captured the northern city of Mosul and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.

According to the UN, more than 3.4 million people are now displaced in Iraq -- more than half of them children -- while more than 10 million are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

*Anadolu Agency correspondent Mahmoud Barakat contributed to this report