- International Shia News Agency - https://en.shafaqna.com -

Christian families return to Mosul – Religious pluralism returns after Daesh reign of Terror

SHAFAQNA – More than 4,000 displaced Christian families have returned to Mosul since the city was fully liberated from Daesh militants, the governor of the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh said.

Nawfal Hammadi stated that more than 4,000 families have returned to the strategic city and have resided in its eastern and western flanks, Press TV reported [1]. He noted that most of the Christian families had resettled in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region after they were overran by Daesh

The governor went on to note that a small number of Christian families in Erbil will be returning to Mosul once the current school year winds up.

Daesh overran vast swathes of territory in Iraq during its terror campaign that began in 2014. In the battle to take back control of Mosul, some sweeping gains were made by the Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer Hashd al-Sha’abi fighters against the group.

Eastern Mosul was liberated by Iraqi forces in January 2017 after 100 days of fighting, and the battle to take control of the western part of the city was launched on Feb. 19 last year.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory against Daesh in Mosul in July 10 and he announced the end of military operations against the terror group in the country on Dec. 9, 2017.

Since the defeat of Daesh, several humanitarian groups have been working to restore the homes of Christians in the Nineveh Plains.

In February, Open Doors announced that 678 Christian homes have been rebuilt [2] in the region. The group and its local partners have helped to rebuild 286 houses in Qaraqosh, which was once known to be the largest Christian town in Iraq. The charity went on to support the restoration of 392 more houses throughout the rest of the Nineveh Plains.