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Wives of ISIS fighters find camps safe haven, fear violence from Iraqis outside

Wives of ISIS fighters find camps safe haven fear violence from Iraqis outside
Wives of ISIS fighters find camps safe haven, fear violence from Iraqis outside

2019-05-11 00:00:00 - Source: kurdistan 24

There is major controversy about how to deal with families of Islamic State fighters and those who lived under their rule. Local security forces and residents of areas liberated from its brutal rule are hostile toward families with a perceived connection to the group and say they will not allow their return to the region to live among the general population.

Now, Iraqi officials are pushing for the creation of a new detention camp aimed at isolating as many as 30,000 Iraqis who were captured in the last territory Kurdish forces liberated from the Islamic State in Syria in late March.

“The goal is to select a special place to contain those people,” said one official, as quoted by The Washington Post recently. “It’s for security reasons, but also to keep them alive. If they return to their areas, they’ll be singled out for revenge attacks by people who lost relatives to the Islamic State.”

Last week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) slammed the move and stated that the Iraqi government’s proposed plan to confine families of members of the Islamic State is a violation of international law. 

“Detaining families not accused of any crimes is a form of collective punishment that will fuel resentment and put the lives of thousands of people on endless hold,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at HRW. 

In late April, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned that an estimated 45,000 children born under Islamic State rule who are already housed in various displacement camps in Iraq are missing civil documentation and may face total exclusion from Iraqi society, including being barred from attending school, denied access to healthcare, and deprived of their most basic rights.

As they reach adulthood, these children risk being denied state-recognized marriages, owning property, or even being formally employed.

Editing by John J. Catherine

(Additional reporting by Blessa Shaweys) 





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