IRAQI authorities have repatriated 111 families linked to the Islamic State (IS) group from a Kurdish-run camp in northern Syria, said an official yesterday.

The families arrived on Saturday and were transferred to Al-Jadaa camp in Nineveh, south of Mosul, said the local official who declined to be named.

At least 339 families linked to the jihadist IS group have been moved from Al-Hol camp in Syria to Al-Jadaa in Iraq since May – the latter camp hosts about 7,500 internally displaced people.

These include families of jihadists, some of whom hail from other parts of Iraq, including Salaheddine and Ramadi, according to authorities.

The prospect of their return to their places of origin has sparked concern among residents who survived IS’ brutal rule when it occupied one third of the country between 2014 and 2017.

Iraq declared “victory” over IS in late 2017, after driving the jihadists from all urban areas with support from a United States-led coalition.

Iraqi authorities announced last month their intention to close Al-Jadaa, the last camp sheltering displaced people in the country, outside of the autonomous region of Kurdistan.

But the process is long and facing resistance from local populations who do not want IS families among them.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, six million Iraqis were displaced during the IS rule.

Around 1.2 million of them still have not been able to go home, including more than 100,000 who live outside camps in “informal sites”. – AFP, January 11, 2022.