Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s First Deputy Speaker Adnan Fayhan Al-Dulaimi on Monday urged Baghdad Municipality to halt the demolition or removal of homes built on agricultural land, amid disputes over residential properties constructed on areas not designated for housing.

Al-Dulaimi asked local governments to update cities’ master plans, urban layouts and service networks or provide suitable housing alternatives for Iraqi families. He also called for an end to the clearing of orchards and agricultural land and their illegal subdivision into residential plots, directing authorities to take legal action against those responsible to protect farmland and curb unplanned urban expansion.

Iraqi authorities have launched campaigns to remove encroachments on state-owned land and homes built on agricultural property. The measures have drawn objections from residents, particularly those living in the affected homes, who maintain that they purchased the properties from powerful figures under contracts between the two sides.

On August 28, Baghdad Municipality teams came under fire while removing unauthorized housing structures in areas around Al-Dora, Karara, and Hay Al-Dijla in southern Baghdad. Brigadier General Hisham Mohammed Talaa, director of the Baghdad Municipality Police Department on the Karkh side, and security member Khalid Abbas Lafta were killed, while four others, including security personnel and municipal employees, were wounded.

Read more: Al-Dora clash highlights Iraq’s 3.5 million informal settlement crisis