Nineveh governor sets deadline to end fuel shortages

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Iraq’s Nineveh Governor Abdul Qadir Al-Dakhil on Saturday gave the Petroleum Products Distribution Department until Sept. 1 to resolve the province’s fuel crisis, as long queues persisted at gas stations across the provincial capital Mosul.

During a meeting with lawmakers, provincial officials, security commanders, and the department’s director, Al-Dakhil ordered a high-level committee led by the Nineveh Operations commander and provincial police chief to track gasoline from supply points to filling stations, oversee sales, and prevent diversion. He also called for those responsible for the disruption to be held accountable.

Iraqi lawmaker Qusay Abbas, who represents Nineveh province, attributed the shortages to mismanagement and fuel smuggling into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, particularly Erbil and Duhok, where prices differ. Despite stable allocations to the province, he said gasoline, cooking gas, kerosene, and gasoil were being diverted, blaming local authorities and petroleum officials for inadequate controls.

Abbas also challenged the fuel-card system, arguing that reliance on proof-of-residence documents leaves it open to manipulation and enables people from areas outside Nineveh’s allocation network, including Faida, Guwair, and Hamdaniya, to obtain supplies from the province. Nineveh lawmakers, he said, are preparing to summon the department’s director general over the issue.

Mosul has faced supply constraints for several days despite an electronic coupon system designed to regulate sales. Reduced operating hours and early closures at privately run stations have pushed more motorists toward government facilities, while restrictions limiting purchases to registered coupon holders have drawn criticism from residents, who point instead to weak oversight and poor management of available supplies.