Iraq formally recognises Halabja as 19th province in historic move – Middle East Monitor

Iraq’s parliament has officially designated Halabja as the country’s 19th province, granting full administrative status to a region long defined by the trauma of Saddam Hussein’s chemical attack in 1988. The vote, passed on Monday with support from 178 lawmakers across political blocs, ends over a decade of political deadlock.

“This is a legal and moral obligation,” said Second Deputy Speaker Shakhawan Abdullah. “The fall of the tyrant began with the…