Iraq faces a new challenge of rebuilding its infrastructure, with Islamic State forced underground and the Kurdish secessionist movement tempered for now.

Iraqi officials say years of conflict have damaged 140 thousand homes, with half of them destroyed. More than two-and-a-half million Iraqis have been displaced. Iraq is seeking some 90 billion US dollars in foreign investment in transport, energy and agriculture to revive its economy. The United Nations says half of the schools across Iraq need repairs. And more than three million children have had their education interrupted.

Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, was one of the hardest-hit areas. The UN says 40-thousand homes there need to be rebuilt or restored. Some work is already underway. But most people have no money, and many entrepreneurs have had to abandon their businesses.