Engineer sworn in as head of Halabja municipal authority is province’s 9th female office-holder

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Khelan Abdul Rahman Meerza-Hassan was appointed to the head of the Halabja municipality authority this week, making her the ninth woman to hold public office in the city. 

Meerza-Hassan, an architectural engineer, was inaugurated as the Director General of Halabja Municipalities. The 38-year-old previously served as the head of the Design Department in the same office for nearly nine years.  

“I immediately started working in my new position as soon as I was sworn in,” Meerza-Hassan told Kurdistan 24 on Monday as she expressed her excitement about the new role.

Her authority extends to the province’s peripheral towns and subdistricts, including Bamo, Biyara, Hawrman, Khormal, Sirwan, and Tawella, where she will manage day-to-day affairs such as water services, cleaning, and the protection of public properties.

Eight other women hold office in the province: the city’s mayor, president of Halabja University, head of the provincial human rights office, municipal director, veterinary director, spokesperson for Halabja Health Directorate, head of the Halabja Joint Committee, and chief of the General Directorate of Municipalities are all female.

Halabja is the site of the deadly 1988 chemical attack that killed at least 5,000 people and injured thousands more. In 2014, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) recognized Halabja as its fourth province alongside Erbil, Sulaimani, and Duhok. 

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly