ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – More than four million Iraqis have been displaced in two years of war with ISIS, the Iraqi migration minister announced.
Darbaz Mohammed said during an international conference in Sulaimani on Sunday that “at least four million persons have been displaced and they need humanitarian assistance. The Iraqi government has to financially assist them and provide them with their necessities.”
Of the four million displaced (IDPs), Mohammed pointed out, nearly 1.5 million have returned home after Anbar province and other areas were recaptured from ISIS.
He thanked the KRG who, despite their economic woes, opened its doors to the displaced people “sharing its bread with the refugees. It was a great step they took. We thank them.”
The Iraqi minister, however, warned that there were growing fears from a myriad of refugees who are based in Kurdish IDP camps outside of the KRG’s administration.
“We cannot allow them to pose a threat to change the areas’ demography as there are 500,000 Arab refugees based in Kirkuk.”
He concluded that they are working hard to help the IDPs “return home to remove such geographical threats as we have similar problems in Shingal, Khanaqin and Jalawla.”
As the military offensive is ongoing against ISIS in Mosul, large numbers of IDPs are fleeing their homes and seeking shelter in the Kurdistan Region and IDP camps in other parts of the country.
By the end of last month, nearly 55,000 displaced families from Mosul had taken refuge in the Kurdistan Region since a massive military offensive to drive ISIS militants out of the city was launched on October 17.
In addition to those who are displaced internally, some have fled the country as refugees. Mohammed, in his speech, blamed sectarian problems that have grown since 2003 for driving people to flee the country.
“Lack of a convenient environment for living and racism have forced Iraqi people to migrate. Even when Iraq was liberated in 2003, these problems continued,” he claimed.
Darbaz Mohammed said during an international conference in Sulaimani on Sunday that “at least four million persons have been displaced and they need humanitarian assistance. The Iraqi government has to financially assist them and provide them with their necessities.”
Of the four million displaced (IDPs), Mohammed pointed out, nearly 1.5 million have returned home after Anbar province and other areas were recaptured from ISIS.
Of the 1.5 million Iraqi IDPs being hosted by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Mohammed also noted that 500,000 have returned to their homes.
He thanked the KRG who, despite their economic woes, opened its doors to the displaced people “sharing its bread with the refugees. It was a great step they took. We thank them.”
The Iraqi minister, however, warned that there were growing fears from a myriad of refugees who are based in Kurdish IDP camps outside of the KRG’s administration.
“We cannot allow them to pose a threat to change the areas’ demography as there are 500,000 Arab refugees based in Kirkuk.”
He concluded that they are working hard to help the IDPs “return home to remove such geographical threats as we have similar problems in Shingal, Khanaqin and Jalawla.”
As the military offensive is ongoing against ISIS in Mosul, large numbers of IDPs are fleeing their homes and seeking shelter in the Kurdistan Region and IDP camps in other parts of the country.
By the end of last month, nearly 55,000 displaced families from Mosul had taken refuge in the Kurdistan Region since a massive military offensive to drive ISIS militants out of the city was launched on October 17.
In addition to those who are displaced internally, some have fled the country as refugees. Mohammed, in his speech, blamed sectarian problems that have grown since 2003 for driving people to flee the country.
“Lack of a convenient environment for living and racism have forced Iraqi people to migrate. Even when Iraq was liberated in 2003, these problems continued,” he claimed.
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