Mosul Emerges From Islamic State, One Business at a Time
Now that security forces have driven Islamic State from Mosul, money changer Ayman Younis is back in business, helping traders buy imports from Turkey. It is just one of the signs that the economy in Iraq’s second-largest city is coming back to life after three years under the extremists, who stifled private business by controlling […]Asa Fitch and Maria Abi-Habib write for The Wall Street Journal:
Now that security forces have driven Islamic State from Mosul, money changer Ayman Younis is back in business, helping traders buy imports from Turkey.
It is just one of the signs that the economy in Iraq’s second-largest city is coming back to life after three years under the extremists, who stifled private business by controlling trade and restricting who could take part in it—and were known to execute independent money changers.
Many challenges lie ahead, from demining to rebuilding, and the overarching sentiment in the northern Iraqi business community is far from positive. Many business owners are putting off investment decisions as they wait for the bulk of reconstruction to begin.
