By Kurdistan 24
Kosar Nawzad
Kosar Nawzad
Members of Iraq’s Christian community once driven from their lands
by the Islamic State are facing difficulties staying in their areas amid
chronic deficiencies in base necessities required to reinvigorate and
sustain day to day life.
Speaking to Kurdistan 24 on Saturday, the governors of two Assyrian
towns in the Nineveh Plains said their people are being displaced again
and are moving to other parts of the country, namely the Kurdistan
Region.
Iraq’s Christian community, which was estimated to have been around
1.5 million in 2003, has significantly dwindled over the years due to
constant war, civil unrest, and persecution.
In 2014, when the Islamic State emerged in Iraq, tens of thousands of
Christians were forced to flee their homes, with many seeking refuge in
the Kurdistan Region. The extremist group killed Christian civilians,
forced some to convert to Islam, and destroyed or desecrated churches.
By 2018, reports on the status of the towns along the Nineveh Plains
indicate many of the displaced persons have returned and are rebuilding
their homes and communities. Kurdistan 24 could not verify the number of
returnees.
“The poor [quality of] services such as water and electricity have
forced people to turn to the Kurdistan Region again,” Isam Bahnam,
governor of Nineveh’s al-Hamdaniya (Qaraqosh), told Kurdistan 24.
He highlighted that “lack of employment opportunities” is another
factor that has further disillusioned prospects for residents, prompting
a movement to places for a better future.
Bahnam also pointed to a growing air of uneasiness among locals, as
“the district has been turned into a military base where a large number
of different forces exist.”
By 2017, Iraqi security forces along with the Shia Hashd al-Shaabi
militias, also known as Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Peshmerga
forces, and other militia fighters had cleared the Nineveh Plains from
the Islamic State.
Since then, however, Christian locals and officials on multiple
occasions have accused PMF members of rights violations and harassment,
purportedly sectarian-motivated.
The governor of Tel Keppe, Basim Balo, expressed a similar worry
among current residents which he said deters other displaced persons
from returning.
“People don’t return because [Tel Keppe] has become a military base. There are multiple checkpoints,” Balo said.
“The people do not feel safe.”