Kadhimi: Mosul’s Fall Was The Result of Wrong Policies We Are Trying to Correct

 Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi listens during a meeting with then- US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, August 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi listens during a meeting with then- US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, August 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
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Kadhimi: Mosul’s Fall Was The Result of Wrong Policies We Are Trying to Correct

 Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi listens during a meeting with then- US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, August 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi listens during a meeting with then- US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, August 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi blamed the fall of Mosul to ISIS in June 2014 on the wrong policies that were followed at the time.

While he praised the fatwa of “defensive jihad” issued by the supreme Shiite authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Kadhimi warned against exploiting it for non-national projects.

In a statement on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the issuance of the fatwa, the Iraqi premier said: “Iraq has gone through very difficult circumstances (in reference to ISIS’ occupation of about three Iraqi provinces in the western region of the country), which put it in front of a serious existential challenge.”

He continued: “All this came as a result of neglecting the security institutions and the heroic Iraqi army, and the accumulation of wrong policies that caused these disasters.”

“Divine Providence, the fatwa and directives issued by the supreme authority, Sayyed Ali al-Sistani, stopped a terrorist monster that had frightened the whole world, and led to the elimination of this organization during a period that the world could never have imagined,” he underlined.

Kadhimi went on to say that he was working “to correct the path by supporting the armed forces and guiding their performance in accordance with national military rules.”

In this regard, he underlined his government’s determination to “consolidate the pillars of brotherhood” among the Iraqi people, pledging to provide the citizens with equal rights without any form of discrimination.

Al-Kadhimi vowed to work “despite all the difficulties and obstacles to build a bright future,” adding: “Soon, you will have a role in building your future through your participation in the elections.”

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Hussein Allawi, Advisor to the Prime Minister, stressed that Kadhimi was seeking to “build the Iraqi forces away from political pressure so that they can perform their duties, tasks, and obligations in accordance with the military values of patriotism and professionalism.”

“Building and strengthening the work of the Iraqi armed forces per the principle of diversity will allow them to represent all members of Iraqi society, and will make them closer to the citizens,” Allawi stated.



Qatar and Egypt See Some Progress in Gaza Ceasefire Talks

 Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Qatar and Egypt See Some Progress in Gaza Ceasefire Talks

 Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 25, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 25, 2025. (Reuters)

There has been some progress in the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks, mediators Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement on Friday.

Suspending the negotiations to hold consultations before resuming talks is normal in the context of these complex negotiations, they said.

The ceasefire mediators affirmed their commitment to continuing their efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire agreement in Gaza in partnership with the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, both saying it had become clear that the Palestinian group did not want a deal.

Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling "alternative" options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave, where starvation is spreading and most of the population is homeless amid widespread ruin.

Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be "hunted down", telling reporters at the White House: "Hamas really didn't want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it's very bad. And it got to be to a point where you're going to have to finish the job."

Israel and the United States withdrew their delegations on Thursday from the ceasefire talks in Qatar, hours after Hamas submitted its response to a truce proposal.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim said on Facebook that the talks had been constructive.