Iraq: 1,000 displaced persons return to Kirkuk

Kirkuk’s Governor Rakan Al-Jubouri said yesterday that 1,000 displaced people had returned to their homes in areas recaptured from Daesh in the province.

Speaking during a meeting with international organisations working in the province, Al- Jubouri said the province administration supports the efforts of international and relief organisations working in the area.

“Without the support of international organisations we would have faced a humanitarian crisis in the displacement crisis,” he said.

The governor called on the international organisations to help alleviate the psychological effects suffered by families who had suffered under the rule of Daesh and to support accelerated education and literacy centres in the province.

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Al-Jubouri said the province needs to cooperate with international and relief organisations to ensure the return of Kurdish people who were displaced from the province after the Iraqi forces implemented a plan to impose law.

Iraqi forces seized control of the vast majority of disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil, including Kirkuk, last month.

“We have not yet been able to return the inhabitants of 82 villages and areas that were destroyed after 2014,” Al-Jubouri said.