Camps with internal migrants in Iraq to be closed in 6 months: Official

By Ali Makram Ghareeb

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AA) - All camps previously allocated for thousands of internal migrants who took refuge in Iraqi cities due to attacks by the Daesh/ISIS terror organization will be closed within six months, an official said Thursday.

Iraqi Immigration and Displacement Minister Ivan Faik Jabro stressed that as part of the government's 2023 planning, the camps will be closed in about six months and migrants sent back to their homes.

He noted that other ministries will also support the project and necessary positive living conditions will be provided to migrants where they will return.

Jabro emphasized that the infrastructure of places belonging to immigrants that became unusable during Daesh/ISIS terror group attacks should be re-zoned.

"Infrastructure, water, electricity and municipal services should be provided in the immigrants’ areas as soon as possible,” said Jabro. “In the next six months, the relevant ministries must definitely fulfill their duties.

“Security should also be ensured in the best way in the areas where immigrants return,” he said.

- Initiative made for 300 families in Türkiye

Jabro said 300 families forced to leave the country during the attacks are in Türkiye, and 8,000 are migrants in Syria, pointing out that the official initiative required for the families had been launched.

After the announcement of the government's decision, 500 to 700 families remaining in the camps have started preparations to return, he said.

"The biggest obstacle in this regard is that the area and houses are unusable," he said. “The worst example of this is reported to be the villages in the Sinjar district of Mosul.”

- 53 camps with 37,000 immigrant families inside

Ministry spokesman Ali Jahangir said there are 26 camps in the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and one in Mosul.

Stating that there are four camps in Sulaymaniyah, six in Erbil and 16 in Duhok, Jahangir said 37,000 migrant families remain in the camps.

He emphasized that people from the Sinjar district stayed in the camps the most, numbering about 27,000 families.

The Daesh/ISIS terror group captured all of Mosul, Saladin and Anbar provinces as well as parts of the cities of Diyala and Kirkuk in 2014, and those areas were recaptured over the years. ​​​​

Former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory against the terror group on Dec. 9, 2017.

Despite five years having passed, attacks by the organization continue in rural areas.

Nine federal police officers were killed in a bomb attack the group organized Dec. 25, 2022.

In 2013, Türkiye became one of the first countries to declare Daesh/ISIS a terror group.

Türkiye has since been attacked by Daesh/ISIS terrorists several times, with 315 people killed and hundreds injured in at least 10 suicide bombings, seven bomb attacks and four armed assaults.

In response, Türkiye launched anti-terror operations at home and abroad to prevent further attacks.

*Writing by Merve Berker