MESOP :Iraqi IDP Figures Pass Three Million – Rise as a result of Anbar clashes, Iraqi official says

Basnews | Sardar Sattar – 01.06.2015 11:55 – BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Displacement and Migration Ministry has released new figures regarding internally displaced people (IDP) in Iraq. More than 3 million families have fled their homes as a result of violence in the country since the beginning of 2014.

Deputy Displacement and Migration Minister Asghar Mousawi revealed 31st May that the ministry has registered over 3 million Iraqi IDPs in total, with a noticeable rise during the last month.Mousawi said, “We expect the number to increase during the operation to liberate Anbar Province.” He explained that the IDPs are mostly from the northern and western provinces of Iraq who have fled the brutality of the Islamic State (IS) militants in the areas. “Following the clashes in Anbar Province and the fall of Ramadi, over 25,000 families abandoned their homes and mostly moved to Baghdad,” Mousawi said. The security crisis and IS attacks in Iraq have forced millions to flee the extremists since the start of 2014. The flow of displaced families is challenging the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government as they are experiencing desperate economic conditions.