Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:01:13
Iraq's government says it has decided in principle to create three new provinces from contested parts of the country in an apparent attempt to address some grievances and counter the expansion of the Kurdish self-rule region.
A Tuesday statement said the Cabinet had "agreed in principle to turn the areas of Tuz Khormato, Fallujah and the Ninevah Plain into provinces and the Cabinet will decide after the fulfillment of the necessary requirements," the Associated Press reported. It did not give a reason for the decision.
Turkomen and Christians, many of whom fear absorption into the Kurdistan Regional Government, have been demanding separate province status for Tuz Khormato and Ninevah Plain for years. The Fallujah announcement however was unexpected.
Iraqi security forces have besieged Fallujah and are battling to take back the nearby city of Ramadi, parts of which are also held by al-Qaeda-linked militants.
All officials who spoke anonymously did so because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
Iraq has suffered terrorist attacks after the US-led invasion since 2003. Iraqi people blame foreign powers for the unrest in recent years.
NTJ/BA
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