Shafaq News / the Council of Ministers' Secretary General, Amanj Raheem, said the the Kurdistan Regional government approved a decision to form a municipal council in Halabja.

Raheem said that with this step, Halabja is now classified as a governorate in the Kurdistan region, stressing the importance of forming a municipal council that will enhance the new governorate's representation.

On June 13, the Kurdistan region decided to establish Halabja governorate that includes the districts of Halabja, Shahrizor, Penjwen, and Sayed Sadiq. These district were originally affiliated with al-Sulaymaniyah governorate.

However, the Federal government has not recognized Halabja as an independent governorate yet.

The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, signed on March 13 a decision to establish the fourth governorate in the Region, Halabja.

There are 18 governorates in Iraq, and they will be 19 with the addition of Halabja to the list. Governorates are divided into districts, which are in turn divided into sub-districts.

The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, pledged to recognize Halabja as an independent governorate during his visit in September 2020.