Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi on Sunday directed provinces to complete land allocation procedures by the end of 2026 under the Watan Initiative, a nationwide program aimed at providing one million free residential plots to eligible Iraqi families.

Chairing the sixth regular meeting of the High Commission for Coordination between Provinces, Al-Zaidi reaffirmed the government's commitment to implementing the initiative, warning that he would personally intervene if any province delayed land allocation procedures.

According to figures presented during the meeting, Karbala, Najaf, and Al-Anbar have completed all requirements, while Maysan, Al-Muthanna, Wasit, Baghdad, and Nineveh have achieved high completion rates. Work is progressing in seven other provinces, with 275,000 residential plots now ready nationwide.

The latest directive follows Saturday's launch of the initiative in Karbala, where Al-Zaidi laid the foundation stone for the project. In Diyala, meanwhile, authorities announced on Sunday that they had prepared 7,500 dunams* of land for approximately 44,000 residential plots but were awaiting instructions from Baghdad before subdivision and distribution could begin.

*1 Iraqi dunam = 2,500 m²