Despite ISIS defeat in 2017 ... shocking numbers about Iraq’s displaced people

Shafaq News / The Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration reported on Sunday that more than 327,000 families are still displaced within the country, despite the passage of more than two years since the defeat of ISIS.

The director of the Return Affairs Department, Amer Abbas Zugheer said in a statement received by Shafaq News, that 565 thousand and 256 families returned to their original areas, representing 63 % of the 892 thousand and 311 thousand families since the beginning of the liberation of the areas from ISIS control.

He pointed out that the rate of returnees is 63 %, which means that 327 thousand and 55 families are still displaced within the country, despite Iraq declaring that ISIS had been defeated in late 2017 and restoring the entire territory from the organization's grip.

Zughair added that "Al-Anbar Governorate is the most receiving governorate for returnees, as it witnessed the return of (238,620) thousand families to their original areas of residence (84%), followed by Nineveh Governorate, in the second place and the number of families returning to it were (170,002) thousand families with a percentage ( 55%), while Salah al-Din Governorate ranked the third with the return of (83,740) thousand families (56%).

"The number of returnees to Diyala Governorate reached (34,306) thousand families (49%), while to Kirkuk Governorate (22,705) thousand returning families (53%), as well as the areas of the outskirts of Baghdad that witnessed the return (15, 883) thousand returnee families (53%).

The fierce war against ISIS over a three-year period starting in 2014 has destroyed thousands of homes and infrastructure for the electricity, education, health, and other sectors, which prevents the IDPs from returning to their areas.