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Some 400 Iraqi refugees who sought refuge from Daesh terrorists in Iraq by going to neighboring Syria are set to return home with help from Turkey.
The move comes as a result of joint humanitarian diplomatic efforts of the Turkish and Iraqi foreign ministries along with the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).
After going through customs, the refugees were taken by bus to a buffer zone near the Oncupinar Border Crossing between Kilis, southeastern Turkey and Syria.
Officials from Iraq’s Consulate and the Kilis migration office examined the refugees, who were provided with winter clothes and shoes by the IHH charity foundation.
The refugees had taken shelter in Syria after fleeing Ramadi, Fallujah, Mosul, Kirkuk and Tel Afar once Daesh terrorists took control of most of these Iraqi cities in 2014.
Daesh terror organization said the man who killed three people in Strasbourg was one of its soldiers, the group's Amaq news website said on Thursday, although it provided no evidence for the claim.An online statement from the group’s Amaq news agency said the attacker "was an Daesh member and carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting citizens of coalition countries" fighting the militant group in Syria and Iraq.The suspected gunman, Cherif Chekatt, was shot dead on Thursday in a brief gun battle with police after being on the run for 48 hours. Video: Strasbourg residents mourn victims of shooting
Daesh terrorists say Strasbourg shooter was one of its members, gives no evidence
Turkish support
Iraq's government will continue to stand by its citizens, Qaddo Muhammad Nuri, an Iraqi immigration official, told Anadolu Agency.
He also expressed thanks for the support of Turkey and the IHH’s logistic help in returning the refugees.
Abdullah Altay, coordinator of the IHH's humanitarian diplomacy unit, said the Iraqis’ return was the fruit of negotiations with Iraqi government officials.
These refugee children will have the opportunity for a better life in Iraq, he added.
Mohammad Jasim, an Iraqi refugee from Fallujah, expressed his joy at being able to go back to Iraq.
"During our stay in Syria we always dreamed of going home," Jasim said.
To date, humanitarian diplomatic efforts by Turkey, Iraq, and the IHH have facilitated the return of 7,000 Iraqis from Syria.
The three parties are also in negotiations for the return of another 6,000 Iraqis.
After Daesh terrorists took over one-third of Iraqi territory in 2014, millions were forced to flee mass destruction in regions such as Mosul, Anbar, and Saladin.
Damage and destruction were seen in thousands of settlements as well as at Mosul Airport, Mosul University, most railway stations, and bridges and hospitals in the old city of the northern city of Mosul. There are dozens of mass graves of victims of Daesh in Mosul and Saladin.
The U.S.-led coalition, formed in October 2014 to combat Daesh, provided the Iraqi administration with support, particularly through airstrikes.
Twenty one prisoners, most of them members of Daesh jailed on terrorism charges, broke out of a prison in northern Iraq but 15 of them have been recaptured, security officials said on Thursday.The fortified jail of Sosa is located near the northern Iraqi city of Sulaimaniya and include mainly prisoners from the terror group who were captured during the fight against Daesh which started in 2014.Security officials launched manhunt operations after the break-out late on Wednesday and 15 of the 21 were recaptured, two security officials said. The whereabouts of the other six remains unknown.Although Sosa jail is located in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, the federal government has full control over the prison.It was not clear how the inmates managed to escape the highly secured prison.
21 Daesh prisoners escape Iraqi jail, most recaptured