Iraqis choose refugee camps over ruined homes

SUMMARY

Despairing of the corpses and debris littering the streets, many Iraqis have left their homes in areas liberated from Islamic State two years ago and voluntarily returned to the displacement camps that housed them during and after the fighting.

By ReutersAug 6, 2019 11:16:10 AM IST (Published)

A displaced Iraqi woman, who returns to camp after trying to go home and find the conditions in their towns unbearable, with lack of services and destroyed buildings, receives aid at Hassan Sham camp, east of Mosul, Iraq. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid

Despairing of the corpses and debris littering the streets, many Iraqis have left their homes in areas liberated from Islamic State two years ago and voluntarily returned to the displacement camps that housed them during and after the fighting. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid

The militants seized large swathes of the country in 2014 and were finally defeated in December 2017. The northern Nineveh province, particularly its capital Mosul and its Old City district, saw some of the worst fightings. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid

Displaced Iraqi children, who return to camp after trying to go home and find the conditions in their towns unbearable, with lack of services and destroyed buildings, sit outside a tent at Hassan Sham camp. Picture taken July 29, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid

Displaced Iraqi young boys, who return to camp after trying to go home and find the conditions in their towns unbearable, with lack of services and destroyed buildings, play football at Hassan Sham camp. Picture taken July 29, 2019. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid

Displaced Iraqi women, who return to camp after trying to go home and find the conditions in their towns unbearable, with lack of services and destroyed buildings, are seen getting out from the bazaar at Hassan Sham camp. REUTERS/Abdullah Rashid