Iraqi Christians say defeating Islamic State won’t make them safe

IRBIL, Iraq — As operations to retake the militant-held city of Mosul ramp up, Iraqi Christians displaced from the area by the Islamic State group say that even if the militants are defeated militarily, the country will not be safe for minorities.

On the edge of Irbil’s historically Christian neighborhood of Ankawa, 1,200 identical white trailers arranged in neat rows shelter nearly 5,000 people.

Despite the string of military defeats suffered by Islamic State group, they say the militants’ incursion into Iraq has thrown the future of the country’s minority groups into further uncertainty.

Raad Bahnam Samaan, his wife and five children fled their home in Qaraqosh in early August 2014, joining the 150,000 Iraqi Christians who left towns and villages around Mosul for areas under Kurdish control.

After months of living in cramped quarters in a dusty camp for displaced civilians, Samaan and his family tried to leave the country through a U.N. resettlement program but without success.

When Samaan reflects on what life may be like in a liberated Mosul, he says he worries the upheaval caused by the Islamic State will have strained sectarian tensions in Iraq beyond repair, making enemies of people who were once his neighbors.