Around 700,000 Iraqis from Mosul still displaced: NGO
Displaced Iraqis who had fled their homes reach to get water before entering at Hammam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq April 3, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
“One year since the start of the battle to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group (IS), some 673,000 Iraqis from the city and its surroundings remain displaced and unable to go back to their destroyed neighbourhoods,” a report by NRC said on Sunday.
“More than half of them may have lost their official civil documents — from birth certificates to property deeds – which will make rebuilding their lives even harder,” the report added.
On July 10, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over IS militants who had held Mosul, the second largest Iraqi city, since 2014. This marked the end of a nine-month old campaign to recapture the city.
Heidi Diedrich, NRC’s Iraq Country Director, said “The battle of Mosul is over, but for hundreds of thousands who fled the city, their suffering and despair continues.”
“After three years living under the brutal reign of the IS and a year since the battle to retake the city started, the tragedy for Iraqi civilians continues to this day. Until they are able to return home and rebuild their lives, the international community must continue to stand in solidarity with the Iraq’s displaced. Meanwhile, the government’s plans to rebuild Mosul must ensure the rights of displaced Iraqis are at the forefront of these efforts,” Diedrich added.
Around four million civilians were internally displaced, while thousands of others fled toward neighboring countries including Syria, Turkey and other European countries, since IS emerged to proclaim its self-styled “caliphate”.