Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi on Sunday launched work on 50,000 residential plots in Al-Anbar province under the Watan Initiative, a nationwide program to provide one million free housing plots to eligible Iraqi families.

During his visit, Al-Zaidi also inspected work at the province’s new administrative city and Al-Anbar Olympic Stadium, where he called for faster completion. Muayad Al-Dulaimi, spokesperson for Al-Anbar’s local government, told Shafaq News that “the visit carries political, economic, and public-service significance,” with discussions expected to cover the province’s federal budget share, suspended for more than a year, its 50% share of border-crossing revenues, compensation for destroyed homes, and payments owed to families of victims and the wounded.

In October, the prime minister laid the initiative’s foundation stone in Karbala and later instructed provincial authorities to complete land allocation procedures by the end of 2026. Government figures showed that Karbala, Najaf, and Al-Anbar had met all requirements, while five other provinces had made substantial progress. In Diyala, authorities prepared 7,500 dunams* for approximately 44,000 residential plots, pending Baghdad’s approval.

Government figures released in late September showed that the initiative covered 121 cities across 15 provinces, with 275,000 plots ready nationwide.

*1 Iraqi dunam = 2,500 m²

Read more: Iraq’s latest land distribution plan faces legacy of unfinished projects