According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), nearly four million Iraqis displaced by the war on the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) have returned to their homes, AFP reported Tuesday (September 4th).

When ISIS swept across Iraq in 2014, it forced six million people — around 15% of the country's total population — to flee for safety, the IOM said Tuesday.

"For the first time in nearly four years, the number of displaced Iraqis has fallen to below two million," the agency said in a report. "Nearly four million have returned home."

According to the IOM, the displaced who have returned home cited several reasons for their decision, including the improved security situation and the availability of housing.

Others said they were encouraged to return by community leaders, friends and relatives, or simply had the financial means to do so.

But the 1,931,868 still displaced complain of lack of means and job opportunities, insecurity and damaged homes and infrastructure, said the IOM.

It said most of those who returned were displaced from the northern province of Ninawa, with displaced Iraqis also going back in large numbers to Anbar.