BAGHDAD: The Iraq signed on Sunday for an European Union grant worth 86 million euros (US$91 million) to be spent on rehabilitating areas liberated from the Islamic State. Abdul-Zahra al-Hindawi, a spokesperson of the Planning Ministry, said in a pres statement on Sunday that Minister Salman al-Jameeli signed in Baghdad the grant with EU ambassador to Iraq, Patrick Simonnet.
The grant is designed for supporting stability at the liberated areas, according to the spokesperson, who added that the amount will be disbursed over a number of years, which he did not enumerate. The grant will cover the rehabilitation of 15 infrastructure projects at the liberated areas during 2017. It includes 200 loans designed to launch small-sized enterprises and combat poverty at 10 areas.
Iraq’s war against Islamic State militants since 2014 cost 35 billion dollars, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in statements on Saturday. The war dealt a severe damage to infrastructure and services at several cities occupied by the extremist group. A wide-scale campaign has been underway since mid October to drive IS out of Mosul, its largest stronghold in Iraq.
