One million displaced Iraqis return home: Official

By Ibrahim Salih

BAGHDAD (AA) – Around one million displaced Iraqis have returned to their homes in areas recaptured from Daesh terrorist group, according to the Ministry of Displacement and Migration.

“Nearly one million people have returned to their areas,” ministry official Sattar Nowruz told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

“However, more than 3.7 million are still displaced,” he said.

In 2014, Daesh militants overran Mosul and vast territory in northern and western Iraq. Iraqi government forces, backed by U.S.-led airstrikes, have since managed to recapture most of the territory.

Iraqi forces are currently preparing a major offensive to retake Mosul from Daesh group, amid expectations that around two million people will flee their homes following the onslaught.

On Monday, the European Union allocated 104 million euros in aid for those affected by the ongoing anti-Daesh operations in the country.

Last week, donors – during a meeting in Washington -- pledged $2.1 billion to help reconstruct areas destroyed by the war against Daesh.

Iraq has suffered a devastating security vacuum since Daesh captured vast swathes of territories in 2014.

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