Masoud Barzani critiques Iraq's post-ISIS reconstruction planning in Mosul

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani on Wednesday highlighted the woes of the peoples of Nineveh Province displaced by the war with the Islamic State over a year following the group's territorial collapse in Iraq.

The senior figure's words came during a speech he delivered following the opening ceremony of the annual Erbil International Book Fair.

In mid-2014, when Islamic State fighters took over the city of Mosul, a large percentage of families from the province were forced to abandon their homes and flee either internationally or within the country, with most being concentrated in the Kurdistan Region.

Following this, Iraqi and Peshmerga forces retook the country from the extremist group city by city, landing at the gates of Mosul in mid-2016. Then, officials and military commanders from the international anti-ISIS coalition in Baghdad and Erbil held meetings to plan the city's liberation.

In one such gathering, Barzani explained, he had warned of the difficulties Mosul would face following the Islamic State's ouster, especially regarding the effective administration of the city. This would remain a key issue, he said, until Mosul reemerges from the destruction brought upon it by Islamic State fighters and the military actions to remove them.

"The stage after retaking control [of Mosul] would be tougher," he argued.

Following Mosul's liberation in mid–2017, many internally displaced persons (IDPs) who returned to the city were forced to go back again to displacement camps, with the promises of rebuilding and revitalization efforts of then-Iraqi authorities largely unfulfilled, stated Barzani.

Indeed this has been a widespread issue for various populations throughout Nineveh Province and elsewhere in the country, notable among them members of the once-bustling Christian community in the region. The cause, locals officials have affirmed, is stalled reconstruction, the poor quality of public services, a lack of employment opportunities, and security fears.

Barzani said he had advised outlining a comprehensive post-liberation plan to normalize the state of Mosul. But his words had gone unheeded, he claimed, adding that "they [the Iraqi side] were insistent on concluding" the liberation first and only then to begin considering "the second stage." He said also that local authorities had not effectively utilized funds earmarked for the reconstruction of the province.

"Sadly, all efforts were directed at how these entities [local authorities] would divide the funds dedicated for [Nineveh] among themselves instead of rebuilding the province."

This, Barzani said, is the cause of the recent ferry tragedy in Mosul, wherein over one hundred people, mostly women and children, died as an overloaded shuttle sank while crossing the Tigris.

When problems arise In Iraq, Barzani lamented, "their results are dealt with rather than their causes."

The Kurdish leader, however, expressed optimism at the current political climate in the country, especially as pertains to Erbil's ties to Baghdad and lingering disputes between the two. 

Editing by John J. Catherine