Iraq’s displaced civilians are being forcibly returned to their homes without regard to their well-being and leaving an unreported number of refugees dead or wounded in the process say refugees, critics, and aid workers. Between November 21 and January 2, as many as 5,000 people were returned to Anbar province against their will and, possibly, before it was safe enough to return. Vigilantes and unexploded bombs remain the biggest threats.
At least 34 people were killed, and 12 more were wounded in recent violence:
In Baghdad, one person was killed and four were wounded during a blast in Saheroon. Three people were wounded in a separate bombing in Yusufiya. Unknown persons beat journalist, Bushra Sa’edi, and her two sons, after stopping their car.
A landmine in Qaim killed a police officer and wounded another.
Gunmen killed the mayor of Rashidiya, near Mosul.
An anti-ISIS activist was wounded in a bombing in Shirqat.
Turkish jets targeting Kurdistan Workers’ Party (P.K.K.) sites in northern Iraq left six guerrillas dead.
Authorities reported the death of 17 militants during operations across Diyala province.
Militiamen killed eight militants near the Syrian border.
