Families of IS fighters stranded in Iraq camps
304 views · Published 18 December 2018 · 3:42 · Indexed 12 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(13 Dec 2018) The widows and children of men who had ties to the Islamic State (IS) militant group are left isolated in displacement camps in northern Iraq, shunned by their home communities and treated as alleged affiliates. They're unable to return to their homes because they risk retaliation from the local communities or government-sanctioned militias known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). The governor of Mosul, Nawfal Hamadi al-Sultan, explained that "Arabic norms and traditions sometimes prevail over the rule of law". But a number of women told The Associated Press they faced an additional obstruction in their attempt to return to their former lives. They said authorities were denying their children official identification cards, which they need for school registration, as well as for all the other services that are provided by governmental institutions. The Mosul governor said it was an impossible task to supply the children with ID cards, as traditional naming conventions meant very little relevant and correct information was known about their fathers. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is based in Irbil, runs camps that host IS widows and families who, for various reasons, are unable to return to their home communities. According to its advocacy manager, Alexandra Saieh, these women are often deemed guilty by association, despite there being no evidence that they themselves were IS members or affiliates. Mosul's governor admits that keeping the women and children in the camps, with very little access to basic services, is a major concern as their plight might breed resentment of and anger at the Iraqi authorities. The majority of the IS widows stranded in camps lost their husbands during fighting between Iraqi security forces and militants in 2016 and 2017. The IS group once held an area the size of Britain across vast territories straddling parts of Iraq and Syria, running a so-called caliphate and planning international attacks from its headquarters in the Syrian city of Raqqa. Tens of thousands were killed in both countries as an array of local forces, some backed by a US-led coalition, eventually drove the extremists out of virtually all the lands they once held. Iraq's then-Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over the group on 9 December 2017. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/2169d4b7fb75737a37d8a23b84802335
