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Iraq
Peshmerga fighters hold a position on the top of Mount Zardak, east of Mosul, in October 2016, during the operation to liberate Mosul from ISIS. PHOTO: Safin Hamed/AFP/GETTY
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The municipality of Mosul and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have begun repairs on a bridge connecting Mosul to the cities of Erbil and Kirkuk, damaged during the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), according to local officials.
"This bridge is of a great importance as it connects Mosul to Erbil and Kirkuk," Masoud Nuri, Gwer town mayor, told Rudaw. He added that the road is being repaired after "repeated calls" from the residents of Mosul.
Repairs on the bridge, located in the town of Gwer, began last week, according to the mayor.
Nuri said the repair would cost an estimated six billion dinars to finish as the road suffered from "multiple damages during the ISIS war".
The bridge was blown up by ISIS during their retreat from Gwer in late 2014.
Gwer and Makhmour were two of the battlefields where armed clashes between ISIS and Peshmerga forces took place from 2014 to 2017.
Nuri said the reopening of the bridge would be a “great favour” for the people of Mosul and those traveling to and out of the city.
“The people of Mosul mostly depend on this road when they go to Erbil, Kirkuk, and other Iraqi cities”, said the mayor, explaining that the alternative route, via Khazir bridge, requires significantly more travel time.
Nuri said that the road is also important for trade, given its position connecting the Kurdistan Region with central and southern Iraq.
Gwer sits within areas disputed between the KRG and the central Iraqi government.
The strategic bridge had once been taken by ISIS during an assault in late 2014. Shortly afterwards, the road was retaken by Peshmerga, who later helped military forces launch the final Mosul offensive in October 2016 using the road.
Many other roads connecting the Kurdistan Region's capital Erbil to Duhok and Mosul were either sabotaged or closed down by the KRG fearing ISIS attacks.
With additional reporting from Karwan Faidhi Dri
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