The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Iraq on Wednesday of resentment among relatives of detainees suspected of fighting for the Islamic State group.

The ICRC's Peter Maurer called for reconciliation in the country three months after the Iraqi government declared victory over the IS jihadists.

"This is a critical moment in Iraq and Iraqi politics," Maurer told a news conference in Baghdad after visiting the country's Sunni Muslim heartland of Anbar province.

The ICRC president cautioned against depriving the families of suspected jihadists of "regular access to brothers, fathers, husbands".

Many were worried about "where they are detained and by who, what is the future of their bread-giver," he told journalists.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in December declared victory over the Sunni extremist group after a years-long battle in which Shiite-dominated paramilitaries played a central role.

Pro-government forces detained some 20,000 suspected IS fighters, researchers say, but Iraqi authorities have not confirmed how many prisoners they are holding.

Maurer said some suspected jihadists' relatives had been confined to camps and were barred from moving freely.

Hundreds of women and children, both Iraqi and foreign, had been detained in Iraq, he added.

"The issue of foreign fighters is particularly complex," he said, adding the ICRC had been able to deliver assistance to some families in need.

Less than a month after world powers pledged $30 billion (24 billion euros) at a donors' conference on Iraq's reconstruction, Maurer said there were "still a lot of humanitarian needs".

Iraq remains the ICRC's second most important theatre of operations, he said, after war-ravaged Syria.

Related Links
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

NATO chief says alliance troops staying in Iraq
Baghdad (AFP) March 5, 2018
NATO forces are staying in Iraq at the country's request, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said during a rare visit Monday to Baghdad after parliament called for a foreign troop pullout. "We are here because Iraq wants us to be here, we are not here without the consent and without an invitation from Iraq," Stoltenberg told AFP. "We should not stay longer than necessary, we will train the trainers as long as necessary to make sure IS does not reemerge," he said of the jihadist Islamic State group. ... read more