Minority Zone: Calls grow for new northern province

Shafaq News/ On Monday, Iraq’s Badr parliamentary bloc called for the creation of a new province encompassing the districts of Tal Afar, Sinjar, and the Nineveh Plains.

Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, lawmaker Waad al-Qaddo said the proposed province would address governance gaps affecting Turkmen, Yazidi, and Christian populations in the region.

“The people of Tal Afar, Sinjar, and the Nineveh Plains have been marginalized,” al-Qaddo told reporters. “Establishing a new province is necessary to ensure justice and fair representation.”

The bloc also voiced support for Kurdish demands to grant full provincial status to Halabja in the Kurdistan Region, calling the move a constitutional right aimed at promoting administrative balance nationwide.

Proposals to redraw Iraq’s provincial boundaries have gained traction in recent years, particularly in areas heavily impacted by the war against ISIS.

While some lawmakers back the measures as a way to improve local governance and safeguard minority rights, others have warned of legal and logistical challenges.