ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Local authorities in Baghdad announced they had removed 90 percent of concrete barriers as a sign of improved security in the Iraqi capital city.

Following the collapse of the former Baath regime, authorities in Baghdad erected numerous concrete barriers and established multiple checkpoints in response to a surge in near-daily armed attacks targeting government institutions, diplomatic missions, businesses, and civilian areas, which killed thousands. 

Now that Baghdad enjoys improved security, the capital city’s municipality has launched a program named ‘Baghdad is More Beautiful’, an initiative aimed at putting an end to the city’s militarization and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the capital city.

"The first phase of the ‘Baghdad is More Beautiful’ campaign included 17 municipal districts and included the removal of large amounts of concrete blocks,” Muhammad al-Rubaie, Director of Media and Public Relations at the Baghdad Municipality, told the Iraqi state media. 

Rubaie added, "The Baghdad Municipality, in cooperation with the Baghdad Operations Command, has removed 90 percent of the concrete blocks by mid-2025.”

“The main streets are now completely free of concrete blocks, with the remaining 10 percent remaining on some side streets in front of institutions,” he said, adding "by the end of 2025, all concrete blocks will be removed as part of the first phase of the ‘Baghdad is More Beautiful’ campaign."

Previously, the Council of Ministers approved the launch of the second phase of the "Baghdad is More Beautiful" campaign. 

The Baghdad Municipality announced that the second phase of the "Baghdad is More Beautiful" campaign will include addressing various aspects of the city’s infrastructure and public spaces, focusing on revitalization and beautification efforts across eight distrcits, including Baghdad Center - Rusafa and its outskirts, Karkh Center, Karrada, Mansour, Ghadir, Rashid, Adhamiya, and the Green Zone and its surroundings.

The second phase will also include the completion of the second, third, and fourth cornices in the Karrada, Kadhimiya, Adhamiya, Karkh, and Dora areas.

In March, the Baghdad mayoralty announced it had started work on 84 projects to address traffic congestion in the Iraqi capital.