The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Iraq went below two million for the first time in nearly four years amid an improving security situation in the country after the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia), the UN Migration Agency IOM said on Tuesday.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th September, 2018) The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Iraq went below two million for the first time in nearly four years amid an improving security situation in the country after the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia), the UN Migration Agency IOM said on Tuesday.
"For the first time in nearly four years, the number of displaced Iraqis has fallen below two million, according to a milestone IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) report released today (04/09). Data collected by IOM staff for the 100th DTM report, concluded that 1,931,868 people remain displaced, the lowest figure since November 2014," the IOM said in a statement.
The agency noted that nearly four million IDPs have returned home since the victory over the IS was declared by the Iraqi authorities last December.
Ninety-seven percent of the people have returned to their habitual residence, while 2 percent have chosen to live in private settings and 1 percent have been seeking shelter in schools, religious organizations and unfinished or abandoned buildings, according to the IOM data. Those who chose to return cited the improved security situation and availability of housing among factors which informed their decision.
Around 1.2 million Iraqis who remain displaced live in private settings, 574,000 people live in camps and 176,000 live in critical shelters. The IDPs cite damage and destruction of infrastructure, and lack of money and job opportunities as factors preventing them from returning to their homes.
Iraq had been fighting the IS since 2014. The military conflict on the Iraqi territory prompted the displacement of six million people or around 15 percent of the country's population.
The victory over the group was declared by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi in December. The country held its first parliamentary election since the declaration in May.
