2427 refugees back to liberated areas in Nineveh: ministry

Baghdad – (Iraqinews.com) More than 2400 refugees escaping battles between security forces and Islamic State militants have returned to their liberated residences in Nineveh, the Ministry of Migration and Displacement said on Monday.

Ministry official Diaa Sallal said in a statement that 2427 people left the Jadaa camps in Qayyara, Mosul, and Debka, Erbil, and returned home after obtaining security clearances.

The ministry had said earlier this month that the number of refugees escaping violence in Nineveh’s Mosul, the stage of decisive battles between Iraqi security and ISIS, surpassed 56000. Observers say the numbers continue to soar due to the ongoing battles.

Security officials and observers have blamed occasional slowdowns in the operations to liberate Mosul to the existence of civilians at the city’s centre and the fear of using them by ISIS as human shields. Recent reports have also confirmed that ISIS began to bombard the recaptured areas, posing a danger to civilians there.

On Sunday, The UK government’s Middle East and North Africa spokesperson, Edwin Samuel, said in a statement that there are currently international efforts to set up new refugee camps in Iraq to admit 450.000 refugees.