Erbil Governor: The City has become a 'safe haven for the oppressed'

Last Update: 2024-10-19 13:00:26 - Source: Shafaq News

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the governor of Erbil,Omed Khoshnaw, stated on Saturday that the province has become a "safehaven for the oppressed," both from within Iraq and neighboring countries.

During laying the foundation stone for a housingproject in the Qushtapa district of Erbil, in collaboration with the BarzaniCharity Foundation, Khoshnaw said, "Our city, with pride, has become arefuge for those oppressed, whether from cities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraqor from neighboring countries." He further noted that there are specificcamps for Kurds from Turkiye, Iran, and Syria.

"A large number of citizens from centralIraq have settled in Erbil due to the events that took place after 2014."

Notably, Erbil, the capital of the KurdistanRegion of Iraq, hosts a high number of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Asof recent reports, nearly 21,000 IDPs remain in camps in areas administered bythe Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), with around 18,000 in Erbil province.

Despite efforts by the Iraqi government to closethese camps and support returnees, many families are reluctant to leave due tocontinued violence in their hometowns and a lack of reconstruction.