Iraq Approves New Defense, Interior Ministers

Saddam-Era Air Force Officer the New DM

Iraqi Prime Minister Hayder Abadi has finally split the difference on the Interior and Defense Ministries, and pushed forward candidates that everyone more or less was able to agree upon after weeks of fighting.

Unlike previous reports, the Badr Brigade’s leader Hadi Amiri didn’t get the Interior Ministry spot, though the Shi’ite militia did ultimately end up with the spot, which was given to one of Amiri’s aides, Mohammed Alghabban.

Abadi also managed to make a concession to the nation’s Sunni Arab minority, giving the Defense Ministry portfolio to Khalid Obeidi, an MP out of the ISIS-held city of Mosul.

Obeidi may prove controversial because of his previous service in the Iraqi Air Force during Saddam Hussein’s rule. His value appears to be primarily in being from Mosul, as a symbol of the military’s determination to eventually reconquer the city, which has been lost for months.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.