WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Some 30 percent of 3 million Iraqis who were forced from their homes by Daesh are reluctant to return due to fears of retribution by Islamist militants or local security forces.
"Security in the areas of origin topped all other factors in influencing the decision to return home or remain displaced, with proximity to the frontline — and perceived instability in the place of origin — remaining the most relevant obstacle for return," the release stated.
Data collected in IOM surveys carried out in eight sub-districts that were recently retaken from Daesh indicated that 30 percent of internally displaced persons still living in refugee camps fear reprisal back home, the release explained.
Security is the "number one concern," IOM spokesman Joel Millman told reporters in Geneva. "If they feel fighting is still going on or that the people who had destroyed their homes are still at large in the community — that is a major deterrent."
The IOM also reported that nearly a quarter of those interviewed, who had decided to return, had been prevented from doing so by delays in processing documentation or by being stopped at checkpoints on their way home.
