Iraqi town witnesses reverse displacement as residents stunned by land's devastation

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, the mayor of Nahr al-Imam village in Al-Muqdadiya district, northeast of Diyala, Fares Ghadhban, revealed a reverse displacement among the village's residents weeks after they returned to it.

Ghadhban told Shafaq News Agency, "The people of Nahr al-Imam village returned to their homes in the hope of living in a livable atmosphere, but they were shocked by the destruction of their orchards and agricultural lands and the lack of services in the village, in addition to the failure to rehabilitate many of their homes that were burned and destroyed by the events."

He added, "This prompted them to leave the village again and stay where they settled in the city of Baqubah and other areas due to the difficulty of living in the Imam River."

Ghadhban pointed out, "The currently remaining families in Nahr al-Imam are estimated at approximately 15 families, while the number of homes that are still not qualified is approximately one-third of the village, and their number is 40-50 homes."

He stressed the need for "government agencies to take urgent measures to contribute to the revival of the village, its orchards, and lands, and to support the reality of services therein to stabilize the population and restore their lives to what they were before."

On Tuesday, February 20, 2024, dozens of families from the villages of Nahr al-Imam in the Muqdadiya district, northeast of Diyala, returned to their homes after three years of displacement as a result of the bloody massacre that the village and surrounding villages witnessed in the year 2021.

In October 2021, the Muqdadiya district, 40 km northeast of Baqubah, witnessed bloody massacres represented by two attacks targeting the villages of Al-Rashad (Al-Hawashah) and Nahr Al-Imam, leaving more than 40 victims and injured, causing sectarian repercussions and the displacement of about 400 families outside their areas.