“When we became a new province, [the government] directly told us they want to make this province a model province by implementing its projects,” Nuxsha Nasih told Rudaw in an interview on Thursday.
Halabja officially became Iraq’s 19th province on Monday after the law elevating its status was published in the Official Gazette of Iraq. The Iraqi parliament passed the long-awaited law in mid-April and Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid ratified it later that month.
The governor has many plans for developing the province. Nasih said that audits have been completed for 20 essential infrastructure projects such as road repairs, which will be implemented soon, and more significant initiatives remain. But she expressed concern about funding and how much money the small province could expect to receive from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“If we go by population growth statistics, our population is 145,000, which may not equal two neighborhoods of one of the large cities in the Kurdistan Region,” Nasih noted, adding that if the amount of funds Halabja receives is based on the development budget, the province’s plans “might not be implemented even in the next 10 years.”
She said that she raised the issue in meetings with the KRG cabinet and deputy prime minister.
Nasih also criticized the government for neglecting beautification projects in Halabja, noting that like Erbil and Sulaimani, development plans should also include malls, parks, and residential areas that enhance urban appeal.
One area Nasih wants to focus on is developing Halabja’s tourism infrastructure. She highlighted Halabja’s natural beauty, which draws thousands of visitors annually from across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and called on investors to consider funding tourism projects.
“We've now done good work, a number of investors have come and intend to open tourist hotels and tourist areas, because until now we don't have a five-star hotel. Fortunately now several people have applied, both from within Halabja and from outside Halabja,” Nasih said.
“Through this program, I tell investors, if you love Halabja, if you want Halabja to be beautiful, don't be afraid, come, it has economic benefits. Our area is rich and will be beneficial in all areas and there's room to work. It's an agricultural and tourist area and we have the most tourists. You can do different and beautiful projects,” she said.
Halabja stands as a potent symbol of Kurdish resilience. On March 16, 1988, near the end of the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, Iraqi forces under the regime of Saddam Hussein bombed Halabja with chemical weapons. The devastating attack killed at least 5,000 people - mostly women and children - and injured thousands more.
The gruesome chemical attack on Halabja was part of the broader Anfal campaign, launched by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the late 1980s. The campaign, carried out in eight phases across the Kurdistan Region, resulted in the deaths of over 182,000 Kurds and the destruction of more than 4,500 villages.
