Fast-rising Iraqi politician pushes rebirth of war-scarred city of Ramadi

Fast-rising Iraqi politician pushes rebirth of war-scarred city of Ramadi

RAMADI: With a five-star hotel, malls and other real estate projects, the Iraqi city of Ramadi, ruined by more than a decade of war, is witnessing a construction boom led by the parliamentary speaker. Mohammed Al-Halbussi, trained as a civil engineer and who cultivates an image of dynamism, hails from the province of Anbar and is hoping to be re-elected in the Oct. 10 national poll. Supporters say the vote here will be akin to a plebiscite in favor of a new term for Halbussi, and his movement, whom they credit for pushing Ramadi’s nascent economic revival after it was left in rubble following the battle to defeat the Daesh terrorist group. Sunni Muslim majority Ramadi is the capital of Anbar, a vast desert province west of Baghdad that covers a third of the country and extends to the borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. After the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, insurgents in Ramadi and nearby Fallujah fought some of the toughest battles against American forces. A decade later, Anbar’s Sunni tribes rose up against the Shiite-led Baghdad government, which many in the province accuse of marginalization. Then, Daesh terrorists captured Fallujah and Ramadi, before government forces reconquered