Latest news with #AliJahangir


Rudaw Net
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
More than 90 Yazidi families return to Shingal
Also in Iraq Former Kirkuk governor arrested on corruption charges Remains of 1,700 Kurds recovered over the past 17 years in Iraq: Official Crimean-Congo fever cases rise to 19 in Iraq, two dead Families of Anfal victims demand remains of loved ones from Baghdad A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 90 Yazidi families have returned to Shingal (Sinjar), their homeland in northern Iraq, the country's migration ministry announced on Monday. The Spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement Ali Jahangir told Rudaw that 92 Yazidi families had returned to Shingal on Sunday, from Chamishko camp in the Kurdistan Region's Duhok province. In June 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) seized control of large swathes of territory in Iraq's north and west. A little over a month later, in August, the group launched a wide-scale attack against the Yazidi community in Iraq's northern Shingal. During the August 2014 assault, ISIS killed and abducted around 9,900 Yazidis. Recognizing the systematic targeting of the Yazidis as genocidal, the United Nations also reported that up to 200,000 Yazidis were displaced from Shingal, many of whom settled in camps across Dohuk. Jahangir told Rudaw on Monday that 'at the beginning of 2024, there were 31,000 displaced [Shingal] Sinjar families in the Kurdistan Region's camps; however, now 21,000 [Yazidi] families are still there.' According to Jahangir, the migration ministry will provide returning Yazidi families with four million dinars (around $3,000) in financial assistance, as well as some essential household appliances to get by, including a refrigerator, stove, and television. 'Currently, only household appliances are being provided to the returning families, while the financial assistance will be distributed soon, following the approval of the [Iraqi] finance ministry,' he explained. Though more than 10 years have passed since ISIS launched its attack on Shingal, much of the Yazidi community remains displaced. Their return has been hindered by a combination of security concerns, political disputes, and infrastructure and reconstruction challenges. The presence of various armed groups has also created an unstable environment, further deterring many Yazidis from returning.


Rudaw Net
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
150 Lebanese refugee families prepare to return home from Iraq: Baghdad migration ministry
Also in Iraq Iraq arrests eight suspected ISIS members Iraq recovers over 35,000 relics in effort to restore ISIS-destroyed Nimrud Iraq arrests over 700 foreign workers in Baghdad YBS slams Iraqi army for labeling their fighters 'terrorists' A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nearly 150 Lebanese refugee families are still in Iraq, with most of them having returned home following last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah, Iraq's migration ministry told Rudaw on Monday. "Of the Lebanese families who sought refuge in Iraq and registered with our ministry, about 150 families remain [in Iraq] to return home,' ministry spokesperson Ali Jahangir told Rudaw. Earlier in January, another spokesperson for Iraq's migration ministry, Ali Abbas, told Rudaw that about half of the 20,000 Lebanese refugees who fled to Iraq late last year had returned home, totaling more than 11,000 people at the time. 'More than 6,000 Lebanese citizens have returned to their country on board 39 flights through Iraqi Airways,' Jahangir then said, adding that others had traveled back via land routes. Baghdad welcomed the Lebanese refugees as 'guests of Iraq.' A large majority of them stayed in the holy Shiite cities of Karbala and Najaf south of the country, where they received aid and relief from Iraqi and religious authorities. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict began on October 8, a day after the outbreak of war in Gaza between Tel Aviv and Hamas, when the Lebanese group opened a 'back-up front' from southern Lebanon in support of its Palestinian allies. Tensions escalated further in mid-September after Israel launched the 'Pagers Operation,' remotely detonating communication devices used by Hezbollah members. This was followed by an airstrike in a residential neighborhood of Beirut that killed Hezbollah's secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah. A late November ceasefire brokered by the United States between Israel and Hezbollah allowed thousands of Lebanese refugees to return home. Amin Salam, Lebanon's former economy minister, told Rudaw in February that the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah caused an estimated $25-30 billion in economic losses for Lebanon.


Rudaw Net
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Over 12,500 Iraqi nationals with ISIS ties repatriated from Syria
Also in Iraq Deadlines for US-led coalition withdrawal unchanged: Iraqi gov Kurdish official says land return law to be finalized 'within two days' Senior Iraqi ISIS commander captured in Syria: SANA 448 Iraqi children died from cancer in 2023 A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's ministry of immigration and displacement confirmed on Monday the repatriation of over 12,500 Iraqi nationals linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) from the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria's (Rojava) Hasaka province. The ministry spokesperson Ali Jahangir told Rudaw that 21 convoys of ISIS fighters' relatives 'have been returned from al-Hol, where 3,062 Iraqi families currently reside, totaling more than 12,500 members." Most of the repatriated individuals are being temporarily housed in al-Jada camp in Iraq's northern Nineveh province for rehabilitation and reintegration into their communities, according to Jahangir. The ministry spokesperson also mentioned that around 15,000 Iraqi nationals linked to ISIS remain in al-Hol camp, awaiting repatriation. The process is being conducted with coordination between the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava and the Iraqi government. In late January, Baghdad announced plans to repatriate all its nationals residing in camps for people with links to ISIS in northeast Syria, based on an agreement with the United Nations. Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the 40,000 ISIS-linked individuals at the al-Hol, which has been described as a breeding ground for extremism and terrorism. The repatriation of ISIS-linked citizens has sparked division in Iraq. Some communities and tribes are opposed to accepting ISIS-linked individuals and their families, citing the group's brutal human rights violations during its rise in 2014 and subsequent fall in 2017. Others argue that reintegration should be considered for families of ISIS members, especially those who were not directly involved in severe crimes. Hastyar Qadir contributed to this article.