Iraqi security: 160.000 displaced families back home in Salahuddin

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) Nearly 160.000 displaced Iraqi families have been repatriated to their home regions in Salahuddin province, Iraqi security media officials said on Wednesday.

Brig. Gen. Yahia Rasoul, spokesman of the Security Media Center, said in a statement “the total number of those repatriated to Salahuddin province stood at 160339 until Tuesday.

He noted that security forces continue their work purging recaptured areas to secure the return of civilians.

Iraq’s war against Islamic State militants, who took over a third of the country in 2014 to declare a “caliphate” rule, had displaced nearly 5 million, nearly a half of whom have been repatriated, according to United Nations figures. The government is, however, facing the challenge of adapting repatriated civilians to war-demolished infrastructure.

The Iraqi government said it recaptured all areas under the group’s control last December.