The Ministry of Finance has allocated $25 million for the reconstruction of the holy city of Najaf, Governor Asaad Sultan said.
Sultan said the money is part of allocations the government has set aside “to reconstruct the war-torn cities and town in four Iraqi provinces.”
Najaf, the capital of a province of the same name, was scene of pitched battles in 2004 between fighters of Mahdi Army led by the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and U.S. occupation troops.
The city was heavily damaged and residents say traces of destruction still linger on.
Four other major cities have sustained massive damage in operations by U.S. troops.
Falluja has borne the brunt of these operations. It was al most turned into ghost town when U.S. troops attacked to flush out insurgents.
Samarra and Tal Affar have also sustained large-scale destruction.
Sultan, Najaf’s governor, said the government will deposit the money in the city where the provincial council has drawn a long list of projects to be implemented.
“The Ministry of Finance is determined to open an account in the holy city of Najaf to deposit $25 million which the province’s share of the money allocated for the reconstruction of areas destroyed by wars,” the governor said.
Meantime, Sultan said he visited South Korean embassy in Baghdad where he thank the ambassador for his country’s efforts in rehabilitating Najaf.
South Korea is actively taking part in reconstructing the province’s health system has granted Najaf’s health department $1 million.