Iraq PM Launches Anti-Corruption Battle by Warning His Brother

Mustafa al-Kadhimi in parliament for vote of confidence on May 6, 2020 [Handout/ Parliament of Iraq/Reuters]
Mustafa al-Kadhimi in parliament for vote of confidence on May 6, 2020 [Handout/ Parliament of Iraq/Reuters]
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Iraq PM Launches Anti-Corruption Battle by Warning His Brother

Mustafa al-Kadhimi in parliament for vote of confidence on May 6, 2020 [Handout/ Parliament of Iraq/Reuters]
Mustafa al-Kadhimi in parliament for vote of confidence on May 6, 2020 [Handout/ Parliament of Iraq/Reuters]

The new Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, launched on Sunday his battle against corruption by warning his brother from the consequences of mediating or acting on his behalf.

The premiership’s information service broadcast a video of Kadhimi during a visit to the Public Pensions Department speaking on the phone with his eldest brother, warning him from mediating on his behalf.

The PM said if such behavior happens, it would be equivalent to identity theft that is punishable by law.

Kadhimi’s presence at the Department also secured the release of salaries of around three million Iraqi pensioners.

The PM’s keenness to fight corruption was preceded by other similar moves, when he ordered the release of demonstrators arrested during the mass protests that erupted in October last year.

The Prime Minister also ordered to reinstate a top general dismissed by former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in September.

“We ordered the return of the hero brother, First Lieutenant General Abdel-Wahab Al-Saadi, and to promote him as the head of the Anti-Terrorism Agency,” he said.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Kadhimi said all security services have been ordered to respect human rights.

Amid unprecedented differences between groups supporting the October demonstrations, protests were held in Baghdad and other cities in central and southern Iraq against the new government, shortly after Kadhimi announced the formation of a supreme legal committee to investigate the events that took place starting October 1, 2019.

Sunday’s protests raised questions regarding their timing.

Several sources warned from the “agendas” of some political parties and forces that seek to harm the PM’s term by renewing protests.

A former candidate for the Iraqi premiership, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Kadhimi proved to have self-confidence, mainly when he ordered the return of Saadi.

“This is considered one of the most important decisions taken by the PM so far,” he said.

MP of Iraqi Forces Alliance Abdullah al-Kharbit told Asharq Al-Awsat that most difficulties that Kadhimi would face in the future are “internal.”

“He has a very difficult mission due to accumulated problems,” Kharbit said.



Kurdish Leaderships Reveal Details of Plan to Merge with Syrian Army

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
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Kurdish Leaderships Reveal Details of Plan to Merge with Syrian Army

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)

Sources close to the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the group’s decision to merge its military and security bodies with those of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration is a serious step toward talks with Damascus.

The move, announced late Monday, aims to integrate the SDF into the Syrian army.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi invited Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to visit SDF-held areas in northeastern Syria, congratulating him on leading the country’s transition.

The SDF had published the minutes of a three-way meeting that included Abdi along with leaders from the group’s political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council, and the executive administration of the Autonomous Administration.

The meeting resulted in an agreement to merge the SDF’s military and security institutions with the security bodies of the Autonomous Administration under the Syrian army’s structure.

It also approved the reactivation of state-run civil and service institutions in northeastern Syria and the withdrawal of non-Syrian foreign fighters from SDF ranks and areas under its control as part of efforts to bolster national sovereignty and stability.

Abu Omar Al-Idlibi, a senior commander in the SDF, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting concluded with an understanding that the SDF would be integrated into Syria’s Ministry of Defense as a single unit, potentially within a corps or as part of the ministry’s eastern command.

However, he noted that discussions were still in their early stages and that oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria were not on the agenda at this stage, but could be addressed in future talks.

Al-Idlibi described the move as an effort to unify forces and strengthen national unity, while reviving state-run civil and service institutions in the northeast to improve public services and living conditions.

The meeting emphasized the need to boost coordination with Damascus, increase dialogue on national issues, and reaffirm Syria’s territorial integrity.

Al-Idlibi said the latest decisions would support the integration of local forces into the Syrian army, bolster its defense capabilities, and facilitate the return of displaced people to their hometowns, particularly those from areas affected by Turkish military operations.