Hundreds of displaced families repatriated in Shirqat: Official
The families that were freed west of Mosul.
Speaking to Baghdad Today on Sunday, Ali al-Dawdah, Shirqat mayor, said “the destruction caused by Islamic State in eastern Shirqat is huge, especially in bridges which links the two sides of the city as well as pivotal establishments.”
“Hundreds of displaced families returned back to regions in al-Zawya and al-Mashak, however, they still lack services due to the destruction,” he added.
The mayor urged the ministries especially those of health and education to play a greater role in reconstruction in order to repatriate all the displaced families, who are suffering at the refugee camps.
In late September, Iraqi troops managed to retake eastern Shirqat after Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and the Joint Operations Command announced launch of first phase of operations to liberate Hawija as well as Shirqat’s eastern side. Federal Police, Rapid Response and the pro-government Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) took part in the attack, according to the command.
The Iraqi army recaptured in September 2016 the western coast of Shirqat, located south of Mosul, on the west bank of the Tigris river, after being surrounded for months by Iraqi troops and the pro-government Shi’ite militias.
Iraqi troops still have only western Anbar’s towns of Rawa and Qaim remain under the militant’s control. Iraqi troops recaptured the town of Annah, a third IS holdout neighboring those two towns, late September.