Iraqi parliament declares Shingal ‘ruined city’

"Approximately the budget for cleaning the city and restoring basic services is above $10 million.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi parliament unanimously voted on Thursday in favor of a resolution to declare the city of Sinjar (Shingal) a ruined city.

“The Council of Representatives, with 184 MPs attending the session, voted on the resolution to declare Shingal as a ruined city. The damages inflicted upon the city by Da’esh terrorist gangs are the damage to public and civilian properties amounting to 85 percent. Also houses of worship have been demolished,” Iraqi parliament stated on Thursday.

On March 3, the Iraqi parliament voted on a resolution to declare Anbar a ‘ruined province.’ During Thursday’s parliament session, it was suggested by some Iraqi MPs that the town of Baiji in Salahadin province, north of Baghdad also be declared a ruined city.

Shingal was occupied by IS on August 2014. Following the occupation, IS carried out mass executions and sold Ezidi women as war slaves. On Nov. 13, 2015, Peshmerga forces with the aerial support of the international coalition jets liberated Shingal and pushed out IS from the city.

The city was the battlefield between the IS militants and the Peshmerga forces backed by the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes for over a year. IS used the main government buildings and major roads in Sinjar to shelter against the airstrikes and the Peshmerga advancement into the city.

The Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC), a crisis response center by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) made an assessment report in December 2015 that approximated the budget for cleaning the city and restoring basic services is above $10 million. 

 

Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Ava Homa