Anbar declared ‘a ruined province’; parliament says reconstruction urgent
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s parliament has called on authorities to dedicate a special budget for the urgent reconstruction of Anbar, calling it ‘a ruined province’ after it was recaptured from ISIS militants last month.
Lawmaker Amira Zangana told Rudaw that the parliament had voted on a restoration bill and urged government to allocate a special budget for the reconstruction efforts in the predominantly Sunni inhabited province.
Most areas of Anbar, which is the largest province in the country, fell to ISIS in January 2014. Iraq’s army withdrew from the two main cities of Fallujah and Ramadi later in May 2015.
Operations in Anbar have been slow despite the army and US-led coalition airstrikes routinely targeting ISIS strongholds in the surrounding areas.
Lawmaker Amira Zangana told Rudaw that the parliament had voted on a restoration bill and urged government to allocate a special budget for the reconstruction efforts in the predominantly Sunni inhabited province.
Most areas of Anbar, which is the largest province in the country, fell to ISIS in January 2014. Iraq’s army withdrew from the two main cities of Fallujah and Ramadi later in May 2015.
Operations in Anbar have been slow despite the army and US-led coalition airstrikes routinely targeting ISIS strongholds in the surrounding areas.