Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq's government will send a committee to Jurf al-Sakhar, north of Babil province, on Sunday to review disputed land contracts and conditions in the area, with more than 100,000 people still displaced since it was retaken from ISIS in 2014.
The committee was formed on the orders of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and includes representatives from the agriculture, justice and interior ministries and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), AbdulRahman al-Jazairi, a senior member of the National Oath (Qasam) Movement within the State of Law Coalition, told Shafaq News on Saturday.
The committee will first visit the area before reviewing agricultural contracts known as "17 contracts." These cover state-owned land leased to farmers for periods ranging from five to 30 years in return for annual payments, with the possibility of renewal when the contracts expire.
"Babil's governor has asked the Agriculture Ministry to renew expired contracts that remain eligible, along with contracts covering land under the ministry's authority," al-Jazairi added, stressing that the committee's work does not currently include any changes to security arrangements in Jurf al-Sakhar.
He further maintained that security plans and deployments will also remain unchanged, including the presence of Iran-backed Hezbollah Brigades, which he described as the force holding the area. "Jurf al-Sakhar is an important pillar of security stability."
On agriculture, al-Jazairi cited the village of al-Saeedat, where valid contracts remain in force and farmers continue to work without interference. Much of the dispute, he noted, centers on contracts that expired years ago and now require action by the Agriculture Ministry, which he said stands ready to handle the cases within its legal authority.
Read more: Jurf Al-Sakhar: A decade on, Iraq's displaced still barred from return
Jurf al-Sakhar, also known as Jurf al-Nasr, occupies a strategic position linking central Iraq with its western and southern regions. Iraqi forces, along with the PMF, retook the area from ISIS in 2014, but thousands of residents have remained displaced. Previous government efforts to facilitate their return have also produced limited results, with security authorities citing mines, unexploded ordnance and other security concerns.
The issue returned to the forefront in recent weeks after former lawmaker and Janabi tribal sheikh Adnan al-Janabi alleged that thousands of homes had been demolished and residents' property damaged. The Babil Provincial Council and governor's office filed a lawsuit against him, accusing him of making false statements that could "inflame sectarian tensions."
On Saturday, demonstrators gathered in Al-Musayyib district to reject the "sectarian rhetoric" and demand that the PMF remain in Jurf al-Nasr.
Muhannad al-Anzi, head of the Babil Provincial Council's Security Committee, placed responsibility for returning displaced residents with the federal government but pointed to tens of thousands of mines and remnants of war that continue to complicate their return.
Tribal figure Sheikh Muwafaq al-Amiri rejected descriptions of the forces that recaptured the district as "occupiers," while demonstrators called for mines and unexploded ordnance to be cleared and residents to return under security arrangements.