Report: Anbar’s displaced prevented from returning home by Iraqi forces

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Displaced families from Iraq's western province of Anbar are being prevented from returning home to areas liberated from ISIS over perceived ties to the militant group, says a human rights group.

“While Iraqi forces confront serious security concerns, just being a family member of someone linked to ISIS or having lived under ISIS is not enough to represent a real threat,” said Sarah Leah Whitson on Thursday, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“Authorities should allow those who aren’t an actual security risk who want to go home to do so in peace and respect the right of people who don’t feel safe to live where they wish,” she added.

Concerns regarding the treatment of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have increased due to new military operations which began in western Anbar on October 26 to liberate the towns of Al Qaim and Rawa on the Syrian border.

The US-led coalition stated that western Anbar is the final ISIS stronghold in Iraq with approximately 1,500 militants remaining in the area.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that fighting in Anbar has so far led to the displacement of at least 507,000 people since ISIS took over large swathes of the country in 2014 with at least 91,000 people still living inside IDP camps.

HRW reported that several armed forces remain within the five main camps in western Anbar including the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi, intelligence agents from the Interior Ministry and local police.

Procedures for returning IDPs differ based on where they are coming from.

Based on a report released in August by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), ISF consider those families who have remained in al Qaim or Rawa to be “ISIS-affiliated.” Those who want to return home are put through stringent security screenings.

Anbar Operation Command forces carry out initial screening procedures of IDPs wanting to return home, which include running the names of all men over the age of 15 through a database for those wanted for ISIS-affiliation. If they pass the initial screening, they are sent to the Interior Ministry for a second screening. In some areas, local Hashd al-Shaabi, usually made up of tribal forces carry out a third screening before they can return home.

HRW is calling on authorities to immediately facilitate the return of IDPs wanting to return home to areas currently not affected by military operations. If local authorities cannot ensure the safety of IDPs, they must work to relocate them to camps or other areas where adequate protection can be provided.

“With a new wave of displaced people most likely on the horizon, authorities should ensure that they are able to return to their homes when they feel safe,” Whitson said.