Migration Ministry’s camp receives 1,500 displaced from Tal Afar
Displaced Iraqis wait to enter Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq March 10, 2017. Picture taken March 10, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
In a statement issued on Sunday, Khaled abdul Karim, head of the ministry’s department in Nineveh, said “the ministry received 1,500 displaced civilians coming from towns and villages in the vicinity of Tal Afar.”
He indicated the ministry’s efforts to evacuate and receive the displaced from liberated regions as well as securing humanitarian aid.
“The ministry’s teams transferred them from security checkpoints to Nimrud camp,” Ismail added.
Earlier on the day, the military media said government troops and allied paramilitary forces had retaken full control over the town.
Last week, Minister Jassem al-Jaff said around 10,000 civilians were displaced from Tal Afar town in two weeks after Iraqi PM Haidar al-Abadi announced in a televised speech on August 20 the beginning of offensive to recapture Tal Afar, which has been held by the militants since 2014, when the extremist group first emerged to proclaim its self-styled ‘caliphate’. This came after 40 days of declaring victory in Mosul, the group’s former capital, where operations lasted between October to July.
The United Nations says more than 30.000 were displaced as operations launched for the enclave.