Christians in the shattered villages around Mosul may be unable to return to their homes to live until next summer, according to Open Doors partners in the region.
The organisation is planning how it will support villagers who wish to return after Islamic State is defeated in the city, which is under increasing pressure from government forces. IS has done massive damage to the villages it occupied, deliberately destroying infrastructure as well as damaging and destroying churches.
It said: "Many areas are so badly damaged that a lot of basic building work needs to be done. There are also areas which have been deliberately made unsafe to prevent Christians from returning home."
One local Open Doors partner, John [not his real name], visited the recently liberated city of Qaraqosh, a mainly Christian town before the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) invaded. "The area we visited appeared totally destroyed," he said. "Many houses and buildings were burned, and in some streets the houses were totally collapsed – appearing like a district inside Aleppo. Rubbish and damaged goods were everywhere. Some streets were blocked because of the rubbish."
At the moment it is still unsafe for displaced people to return to liberated areas such as Qaraqosh because IS fighters are still present in the bigger towns. When John was in Qaraqosh, he said: "We constantly heard shooting. Sometimes it appeared nearby, other times a few blocks away, and all the time there were explosions. Fortunately, they sounded a bit further away."
However, he said the liberation of these towns is a sign of hope for the Christians who once lived there. John went to a church building in Qaraqosh with the church leader whose congregation once met there. John said, "With a sad voice [the church leader] remembered how the church had looked before he'd left it two years ago. But although ash and damage was everywhere, what stood out most for me was the faith I saw in his eyes."
Open Doors intends to help make houses habitable again and to provide funds to help restore churches and schools.
John said: "We will continue to support them every step of the way."
