Abadi: Now is the time for unity against terrorism, not political gain
ERBIL, Kurdistan--Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi affirmed that Iraqi forces will raise the national flag in Nineveh as they did in Fallujah, and insisted that the Interior Ministry should not be partisan or politicized.
Abadi voiced the opinion that ISIS is now in a weakened position and soon they will be widely defeated. “The terrorist ISIS gangsters are facing clear defeat. After the victory of our heroic forces in Fallujah, ISIS could not even escape from the desert,” he said in a meeting with Interior Ministry officials on Friday.
“The big defeat will happen soon,” he declared. “We will raise the Iraqi flag in Nineveh as we did in Fallujah.”
Abadi believes the deadly recent attack in Karada was a revenge attack for Iraqi forces’ victories. “The terrorist attack in Karada was revenge against our great victory in Fallujah that caught the world’s attention.”
“They depend on cowardly explosions and targeting civilians. By doing this, they want to prove that they are still alive and have influence in order to get financial support and attract other terrorists to join them.”
In a meeting with Interior Ministry officials on Friday, Abadi asked them to “take on another role by fighting terrorism militarily,” in addition to their responsibilities for internal security.
He also issued a warning to those officials who are involved in corrupt deals. “There are people who are trading in the blood of the Iraqi people for political gain at a time when we should be united against terrorism that targets all of us.”
“This year we will defeat corruption in the ministry and we won’t let corrupted officials move freely. We will catch them wherever they are,” he declared.
This meeting with the Interior Ministry comes after an earlier one on Friday when the prime minister dismissed Baghdad’s military commander, and security and intelligence officials of the city.
The Minister of the Interior, Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, handed in his resignation shortly after Sunday’s bombing, which was accepted by Abadi 24 hours later.
Al-Ghabban blamed the deteriorating security situation in the capital on the prime minister who he said did not give him enough authority and paid no heed to his security plans. He also claimed lack of coordination among the country’s security departments.
A day after the deadly attack in Karada, Abadi ordered security services to stop using fake bomb detectors known as ‘magic wands’ and ordered a new investigation into “corrupt deals” to purchase the ADE651 devices.
He also ordered more vehicle inspection systems to be put into place at entry points into the capital and other provinces in an effort to improve security.
Abadi voiced the opinion that ISIS is now in a weakened position and soon they will be widely defeated. “The terrorist ISIS gangsters are facing clear defeat. After the victory of our heroic forces in Fallujah, ISIS could not even escape from the desert,” he said in a meeting with Interior Ministry officials on Friday.
“The big defeat will happen soon,” he declared. “We will raise the Iraqi flag in Nineveh as we did in Fallujah.”
Abadi believes the deadly recent attack in Karada was a revenge attack for Iraqi forces’ victories. “The terrorist attack in Karada was revenge against our great victory in Fallujah that caught the world’s attention.”
“They depend on cowardly explosions and targeting civilians. By doing this, they want to prove that they are still alive and have influence in order to get financial support and attract other terrorists to join them.”
In a meeting with Interior Ministry officials on Friday, Abadi asked them to “take on another role by fighting terrorism militarily,” in addition to their responsibilities for internal security.
He also issued a warning to those officials who are involved in corrupt deals. “There are people who are trading in the blood of the Iraqi people for political gain at a time when we should be united against terrorism that targets all of us.”
“This year we will defeat corruption in the ministry and we won’t let corrupted officials move freely. We will catch them wherever they are,” he declared.
This meeting with the Interior Ministry comes after an earlier one on Friday when the prime minister dismissed Baghdad’s military commander, and security and intelligence officials of the city.
The Minister of the Interior, Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, handed in his resignation shortly after Sunday’s bombing, which was accepted by Abadi 24 hours later.
Al-Ghabban blamed the deteriorating security situation in the capital on the prime minister who he said did not give him enough authority and paid no heed to his security plans. He also claimed lack of coordination among the country’s security departments.
A day after the deadly attack in Karada, Abadi ordered security services to stop using fake bomb detectors known as ‘magic wands’ and ordered a new investigation into “corrupt deals” to purchase the ADE651 devices.
He also ordered more vehicle inspection systems to be put into place at entry points into the capital and other provinces in an effort to improve security.