After at least 400 homes were rendered uninhabitable by the US military offensive in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, US and Iraqi authorities have decided to dole out monetary stipends to thousands of the town’s residents to compensate for the damage.
In addition to some 400 homes and shops damaged, countless clinics, mosques, and schools were also damaged or destroyed.
The US-led military offensive to thwart the passage of potential fighters into Iraq from neighboring Syria in September resulted in the departure of some 50,000 of Tal Afar’s population of 500,000.
Iraqi authorities expressed the hope that the compensation project would help displaced families and show them that the Iraqi government is behind them. "This compensation will show the city's families that the government is on their side," a senior official in Tal Afar said.
One resident of the town and father of two, told IRIN, "I was worried about how I was going to feed my family because I had lost everything. Even the shop where I worked was totally destroyed."
The $3 million compensation package will initially grant $100 per family whose homes or livelihood was destroyed in the fighting. Other grants will follow.
Many of the town’s residents, however, said that such funds were insufficient.
Reconstruction projects have also begun in the city.
