Iraq gets USD75 mn from U.S., sets USD208 mn for reconstruction
An Iraqi soldier looks out of the window of a house destroyed by an Islamic State (Reuters)
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraq is getting USD75 million from the United States for stabilization efforts, while setting more than USD208 million for the reconstruction of war-scarred areas.
“U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Douglas Silliman announced today that the U.S. government is providing $75 million in additional funding to help stabilize Iraq following its full liberation from ISIS,” the embassy said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The United States plans to provide a total of $150 million for stabilization efforts in 2018, which will bring the total U.S. contribution to $265.3 million since 2015,” the statement added.
“Strengthened by this new funding, the stabilization program will continue to help the populations of liberated areas return to their homes and resume normal lives by restoring services such as water, electricity, health, and education,” it noted, adding that the funding will partly address the needs of ethnic minorities affected by Islamic State presence.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government has earmarked IQD248 billion (USD208.320 million) for the reconstruction of areas damaged by the war against Islamic State militants since 2014.
Mostafa al-Hiti, head of the Reconstruction Fund for Areas Affected by Terrorist Operations (REEFATO), told Iraqi newspaper al-Sabah that areas included within the fund’s operations include Anbar, Salahuddin, Nineveh, parts of Diyala, Kikruk, northern Babil and the Baghdad Belt.