UN to restore Iraq's Kirkuk citadel, Ottoman barracks

By Idris Okuducu

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) - The United Nations will provide assistance to restore a historical citadel and Ottoman barracks which are at risk of collapse in Iraq's Kirkuk province.

According to a statement by UN's Assistance Mission for Iraq, Alice Walpole, UN special envoy for Iraq, along with a team visited the sites.

The statement added that the barracks, built for the Ottoman Army in 1863, were in bad shape and could collapse.

The citadel, dating back to 884 BC, had defense walls as tall as 18 meters, the UN mission said.

According to Martijn Dalhujisen, the UN officer for Development Coordination Office in Kirkuk, the citadel bore traces from Arabs, Christians, Muslims, Jewish, Kurdish, Seljuks, Turkish and Turkmen, representing the multi-cultural society of Kirkuk.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this story from Ankara.