What will it Cost to Rebuild Iraq?

She said, “I will not go back. I would rather bear the hardship of living here in Baghdad instead of watching death every day in Ramadi.”

Member of parliament Liqa al-Wardi from Anbar told Al-Monitor that the city of Ramadi is like the Syrian town of Kobani because of the fighting, military operations and indiscriminate terrorist bombings.

“Thousands of houses, hospitals and bridges have been destroyed, as well as [public] buildings and schools,” she said. “The city was [already] neglected by the Iraqi governments after 2003, and now it is witnessing difficult circumstances.”

Wardi called on the Iraqi government to cooperate with the international community to reconstruct Ramadi and not to undervalue the previous and ongoing destruction and devastation. “The city requires large sums of money, but that doesn't mean it should be abandoned,” she said. According to her, the reconstruction of Ramadi is an essential and positive step for the return of its displaced residents.

Bassem Jamil Antoine, vice president of the Economists and Industrialists Iraqi Association, told Al-Monitor, “Iraq needs about $60 billion to ensure the reconstruction of areas recaptured from IS in Iraq, including Ramadi. Iraq will not be able to afford the reconstruction of these cities without international efforts and aid.”

Following his visit to Iraq on March 26, Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon promised international support for the country to reconstruct the liberated areas, acknowledging the significant challenges facing Iraq in the future.