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. [nL8N1BL0YB]
But the expulsions raise the spectre 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 neighbours' testimonies, to leave 52 houses in the town, a local police officer said.
"After the liberation of Dhuluiya, tensions started to surface among the residents, especially people who lost relatives because of Daesh's extreme rules," said tribal leader Sheikh Ibrahim al-Jabouri. "We fear a fissure in society. Vengeance against Daesh families will only lead to more death."
Last week, a Reuters photographer observed members of the Samarra Operations Command, which handles security in Salahuddin province where Dhuluiya is located, marking the walls of shuttered houses with graffiti that said "Locked down by order of the Samarra Operations Command," and "There is no place for you among us".
Most of the families have moved in with relatives in nearby districts, said Jasim al-Jibarra, head of Salahuddin provincial council's security committee. Others may have slipped into neighbouring Kirkuk province.
