BAGHDAD, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displaced announced Wednesday the closure of 144 refugee camps out of 170 across the country during the past few years.

"Only 26 camps remained out of 170, and most of the remaining camps are in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan," said Deputy Minister Karim al-Nouri in a video posted by the official Iraqi News Agency, stressing that most of the displaced people in these camps are residents of the town of Sinjar, some 120 km west of Mosul, the capital of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh.

In Sinjar, several armed groups are competing to control the town despite the government's attempts to regain administrative control over the area.

"The ministry is determined to end this crisis despite the difficult challenges, so that Iraq will get rid of refugee camps," he said.

According to figures released by the International Organization for Migration, more than 1 million people are still displaced in Iraq. They have been hampered from returning to their homes due to insecurity, lack of livelihoods, and the destruction or damage of their homes.

Iraq's plan to close all displacement camps came as the security situation in the country has been dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants late in 2017. Enditem

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