The UN pointed to the danger fr om the hasty closure of the Iraqi camps wh ere the families of IS fighters lived

The UN “expresses concern” over the rapid closure by Iraqi authorities of a camp for displaced persons, where more than 300 families associated with the Islamic State lived.

The international organisation's office in Baghdad stated that the removal of the Jada 5 facility in the northern city of Qayyarah was carried out without proper notification or preparation.

Humanitarian groups opposed the closure, fearing that vulnerable families, including many women and children, would find it difficult to integrate into their hometowns and be stigmatized for their perceived or real association with ISIS fighters. Camp residents said they fear violence from militias and local tribes if they return to their homes.

Every such family has been given 1.5 million Iraqi dinars (about $1,030) to find new housing.

Baghdad began a policy of closing displaced persons camps across the country in late 2020, hoping it would speed up the state's reconstruction after it was devastated by the fighting.

Most such facilities have since been dismantled, with the exception of those in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, and Jada 1 in Qayyar, which houses ISIL-affiliated prisoners who were previously held in the neighbouring Syrian Al-Hawl camp.