Effects 'still clearly visible'

Mosul neighborhood demands services years after ISIS rule ends

2024-08-21 | 16:36

MOSUL – Residents of the Al-Malain neighborhood in Mosul protested Tuesday, expressing frustration with local authorities over a long-standing lack of basic services. The neighborhood, home to around 5,000 families, faces unpaved roads, missing sidewalks, and a malfunctioning water and sewage system.

Protesters also pointed to the neighborhood’s main entrance, which remains damaged from the battle against the Islamic State group, as a significant issue. Despite official approvals, a promised school has yet to be built on land donated by a local resident.

“The effects of the war with ISIS are still clearly visible here. We organized this protest to urge city officials to address the lack of services,” said Omar Walid, one of the protesters.

Walid emphasized the need for urgent repairs to the neighborhood’s main entrance. “The current state of the entrance is unsafe and causes accidents and traffic jams. We need it to be repaired and paved at the very least,” he said. He also stressed the importance of the promised school, noting that although its construction has been approved, no progress has been made despite a local resident donating the land.

Mosul, once a thriving metropolis, was devastated during ISIS’s occupation and the subsequent battle for liberation. The city fell under ISIS control in June 2014 and was liberated in July 2017 after a major offensive by Iraqi forces supported by a U.S.-led coalition.

During their rule, ISIS made Mosul the capital of their self-declared caliphate in Iraq, enforcing a brutal regime marked by mass executions, cultural destruction, and harsh repression. The battle to reclaim the city was one of the fiercest urban conflicts since World War II, leaving key infrastructure, including bridges and public buildings, in ruins.

Although ISIS was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and later in Syria in 2019, remnants of the group continue to pose a security threat. Residents of Mosul, like those in Al-Malain, are still struggling with the long-term effects of the conflict and the slow pace of reconstruction efforts.