After observing a decline in armed attacks across Kirkuk, concrete barriers will be lifted from all areas of the city to help reduce traffic and beautify the area.

The barriers will be removed first from areas surrounding the houses of government officials, revealed Najat Hussein, a member of Kirkuk Provincial Council.

"The governor of Kirkuk assured on removing all barriers in the city in order to reduce the traffic and give more beauty to the city, like other Iraqi provinces - namely the provinces of the Kurdistan region," he added.

The governor of Kirkuk, Najm al-Din Karim, had assured earlier that the security situation in Kirkuk had improved and was a symbol of "peaceful" coexistence between Iraqi factions and sects.

He gave last month's international trade fair, in which more than 88 foreign companies are participating as proof.

The Iraqi government used cement barricades around civil or military departments to protect against attacks and explosions that have affected most cities in Iraq since the fall of the former regime in 2003.

Mahdi al-Bayati, a taxi driver, told AKnews: "We are facing many problems because of concrete barriers, and raising them will greatly facilitate our work and the work of many people. I can assure that there will be more work than before."

While Hiwa Muhammad, the owner of a shopping center in Kirkuk market, said: "Lifting barriers in the general areas of Kirkuk will facilitate traffic and the passage of vehicles and civilians."

Kirkuk, 255 km northeast of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, is one of the disputed areas between the Federal Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government.







AKnews