New bridge over Sirwan River opens ahead of chemical attack anniversary

HALABJA — A new bridge over the Sirwan River, designed to strengthen the link between Halabja governorate and the Garmian autonomous administration in Sulaymaniyah governorate, was inaugurated Saturday—one day before the anniversary of the Halabja chemical attack.

Halabja was officially recognized as the fourth governorate within the Kurdistan Region in 2014. In March 2023, the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved a draft law to establish Halabja as Iraq’s 19th governorate, sending it to the Council of Representatives for final approval. As of September 2023, a vote on the bill had been scheduled but postponed multiple times, leaving Halabja’s status as governorate unfinalized at a federal level.

The foundation stone of the Tangi Sayid Mohammed Bridge was laid in a ceremony attended by Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and Dana Abdulkarim, minister of housing and reconstruction.

In his speech, Abdulkarim said, “The project will be implemented with a budget of 26,698,983,000 Iraqi dinars [$18m] and is expected to be completed within 900 days. Once finished, it will serve as a new gateway for Halabja, improving both infrastructure and trade.” He also announced plans for another major road project to further enhance connectivity for Halabja residents. “In the near future, we will approve the construction of the Sazan-Halabja border road with a budget exceeding 60 billion dinars ($40.54 million),” he added. The bridge will also create a new route linking the city to Iranian territories once completed.

Spanning 690 meters in length and reaching heights of up to 25 meters, the Tangi Sayid Mohammed Bridge will connect Darbandikhan in Garmian with Halabja governorate. The project is expected to significantly improve transportation between the two regions, making travel faster and more efficient for residents in Bamo subdistrict, Sirwan, Tawgoz, and other surrounding areas.

The project is seen as a crucial step in developing Halabja’s infrastructure and expanding access to services and economic opportunities. On March 9, a delegation of local officials and community leaders from Halabja traveled to Baghdad to formally urge Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani to support long-overdue legislation recognizing Halabja as an official governorate.