‘Iraq too dangerous for Daesh families to return’

The wives and children of Daesh fighters who have been killed or imprisoned are afraid of returning to their homes in Iraq, an Al Jazeera report has found.

As the Daesh group’s presence is obliterated across Syria and Iraq, family members are fearful of returning home over reprisal attacks from the Iraqi community.

Manal Younis-Zanounn, a Daesh fighter’s wife, said: “If he [my husband] doesn’t come back home and work, life would be so hard without him,” adding “If you’ve been branded as an ISIL [Daesh] family, it’s too dangerous to return” home in Iraq.

“I want security, security is the most important thing – inside the camp I’m alone, but I’m safe. Inside Mosul I’m not safe. Whenever women return home, they [Iraqi security] take them,” Younis-Zanounn continued.

Iraq declared victory over Daesh in December 2017 but the group still maintains sleeper cells across the country which have been active in carrying out guerrilla attacks.

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Daesh dubbed itself as an “Islamic State” to dominate the world in late 2014 and attracted scores of foreign fighters. But gruesome killings, torture and potential war crimes against minorities attracted a US-led coalition to be launched to quash it.

Daesh‘s statehood dreams have since crumbled, while its foot soldiers are being forced into pockets of locations across Syria and Iraq, surrounded by rival non-state armed groups backed by several international players, including Iran.

Amina, a Daesh widow, said: “I’m not ashamed and I will never be. It’s true we’re an ISIL [Daesh] family, but we want change. We’re not afraid, but we’re afraid of the Shia militia.”

#Mosul

According to Al Jazeera, Amina says she is encouraging her two young sons to study and not to become a fighter, like their deceased father.

“When my son grows up I can’t stop him from leading this path [fighting], that’s why they don’t want us back to our own town.”

Yesterday, the Iraqi interior ministry announced the arrest of a Daesh leader who headed up the Zakat Bureau in the northern city of Nineveh. Iraqi forces have already arrested thousands of suspected Daesh fighters after they recaptured Mosul from the internationally-regarded terrorist group last year.

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