Deputy PM in Mosul to check on services

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Deputy Prime Minister Rafie al-Issawi on Monday arrived in Mosul to follow up on the progress of services in the city, a local media source said. “Accompanied by Minister of Communications Farouq Abdelqadir, Issawi arrived this morning in Mosul and was received at the airport by its Mayor Darid Kashmoula; the commander of security operations, Riyadh Jalal Tawfeeq; and the commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling,” the source told IraqiNews.com. Issawi is scheduled to meet with heads of state departments to discuss the situation of services in the city. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. The original city of Mosul stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient biblical city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial areas on both banks, with five bridges linking the two sides. Despite having an amount of Kurdish population, it does not form part of the area controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government Kurdistan RegionG). There are different communities in Mosul like Christians, Shiites and Kurds along with a Sunni majority. The fabric Muslin, long manufactured in Mosul, is named for this city. Another historically important product of the area is Mosul marble. The city is also a historic center for the Nestorian Christianity of the Assyrians, containing the tombs of several Old Testament prophets such as Jonah, Yunus in Arabic, and Nahum. SS (S) 1