BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Feb. 22 that his government is ready to start the implementation of national reconciliation in the very near future. The plan includes returning the displaced families to their hometowns and building an inclusive political and social setting in the liberated areas.

During a Feb. 14 speech on Al-Iraqiya TV, he gave more details about his plan for national reconciliation. Abadi said the families of Islamic State (IS) members should not be punished for the acts committed by IS members if the family members had no involvement. He said that no matter the severity of the criminal act, the family should not be held responsible for the acts of one of its members.

However, no official policy has yet been adopted when it comes to dealing with the families of IS members, and they are being evicted from the liberated areas, particularly in Qayyarah, Sharqat and some neighborhoods in the eastern part of Mosul, amid disagreements over the implications and repercussions of this “eviction.”

The “families of IS members” has become a common term in the liberated areas to identify families who supported and helped IS, or those who have a member affiliated with the extremist group.