Iraqi authorities are expelling the families of suspected Islamic State members from their homes as the jihadist group loses ground, raising fears of communal violence if people seek to settle old scores.
Relatives of more than 200 militants are being forced to leave Dhuluiya, 70 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, and Hit, 130 km to the west, government and security officials said.
Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition have recaptured more than half the territory seized in 2014 by Islamic State, also known as ISIL and Daesh, and are gearing up for an offensive on the jihadists’ de facto capital of Mosul later this year.
But the expulsions raise the specter that the ultra-hardline group’s anticipated demise could trigger yet more conflict, if Iraqis seek to root out sympathizers and pursue retribution outside the law for Islamic State crimes they say include massacre, rape and enslavement.
Government forces and allied Shi’ite Muslim militias kicked Islamic State out of Dhuluiya nearly two years ago, but late last month police forced relatives of suspected insurgents, identified through intelligence and neighbors’ testimonies, to leave 52 houses in the town, a local police officer said.
With neighboring districts refusing to host them, the exiles may have no choice but to return to territory controlled by the jihadists.
