Shafaq News / A local official in Diyala revealed on Friday the reasons behind the delay and disruption in the return of hundreds of displaced families due to bloody massacres on the outskirts of the Al-Muqdadiyah district, northeast of the governorate.

Hatem Abdul Jawad Al-Tamimi, the acting governor of Al-Muqdadiyah, informed Shafaq News Agency that the "financial allocations, government changes, and delayed budget have postponed the return of hundreds of families to the villages of (Nahr Al-Imam, Al-Mithaq First and Second), in addition to the outskirts of Al-Muqdadiyah, which were displaced at the end of 2021 due to the security unrest at the time."

Al-Tamimi added that "the previous government had approved the reconstruction of 207 houses that had been demolished and vandalized in the aforementioned villages in October 2021, following armed attacks and security turmoil that prompted their displacement."

He further clarified that "the previous government had entrusted the Sunni Endowment with the reconstruction and restoration of the houses, and 100 houses were reconstructed and restored, but the reconstruction work was halted due to the lack of financial allocations to complete the project."

Al-Muqdadiyah district, 40 km northeast of Baqubah, witnessed bloody massacres in October 2021, consisting of two attacks targeting the villages of Al-Rashad (Al-Hawasha) and Nahr Al-Imam, resulting in over 40 casualties and injuries. These events caused sectarian repercussions and displacement not seen in Diyala for more than 14 years, leading to the displacement of nearly 400 families from their areas.