Iraq's western Anbar province getting back on its feet, eyeing autonomy
Iraq’s Sunni-majority Anbar province has in recent months completed a number of infrastructure works in the hope of attracting more investment as the US troops' presence winds down, amid debate over the possibility of carving out an autonomous region.
Three years after the last city held by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq fell to Iraqi troops with the help of international coalition support, a bleak economic situation with low oil prices and continuing regional instability have for the most part blighted hopes for the rapid reconstruction of areas severely damaged by IS or during the fighting to defeat it.
However, a number of projects have recently been completed in Iraq’s largest and westernmost Anbar province, one of the worst hit by both IS violence and the battles to rid the country of the transnational terrorist group. Others are underway.
As part of stepped-up attempts to bring in more investment, Anbar Gov. Ali Farhan al-Dulaimi told a TV station Sept. 30 that all the money disbursed as part of a $20 million World Bank loan had been spent on projects in his Sunni-majority province, Turkish companies were working in the desert, the Anbar airport “will be operational soon” and “large investment projects” were coming to the province.
Talk of creating a Sunni federal region has recently been heard again in political circles, an option allowed by Article 119 of the Iraqi Constitution if the move were to be approved by one-third of the provincial council and one-tenth of the electorate, as US forces continue to draw down and locals are concerned about undue influence by Iran when and if they leave entirely at some point.
