Mustafa Al-Kadhimi
Mustafa Al-Kadhimi | |
|---|---|
مصطفى الكاظمي | |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Acting 12 May 2020 – 6 June 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Ali Alhakim |
| Succeeded by | Fuad Hussein |
| Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service | |
| In office 7 June 2016 – 7 May 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Haider al-Abadi|Adil Abdul-Mahdi |
| Preceded by | Zuheir Fadel Abbas Ghirbawi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat 5 July 1967 Republican Palace, Baghdad |
| Alma mater | Al Turath University College (LLB) |
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
| Website | t |
Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat (
Biography
Al-Kadhimi was born in Baghdad in 1964 to Abdul Latif, who was born in Al-Shatra, a town in southern Iraq, located northeast of Nasiriyah. He later migrated from Nasiriyah to Baghdad as a student.
Al-Kadhimi was a vocal opponent of the regime of Saddam Hussein.[6] He escaped Iraq in 1985 for Iran then Germany, before settling in the United Kingdom, and lived in exile for several years, eventually becoming a citizen of the UK.[2]
After the 2003 American-led invasion of Iraq, al-Kadhimi returned to Iraq and cofounded the Iraqi Media Network.[2]
He was a columnist and an editor of the Iraqi version of Al-Monitor[7][8] and contributed to various outlets. He has also published a number of books and studies.[6] Al-Kadhimi was also the senior editor of Iraq's Newsweek magazine for three years.[2]
Al-Khadhimi studied law at
Prime Minister of Iraq
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Following months of protests that broke out across Iraq in October 2019 and the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and his cabinet, Mustafa Al Kadhimi became a leading contender for the premiership.[13]
Al-Kadhimi and Haider al-Abadi went to Riyadh in 2017. Al-Kadhimi made headlines when he was seen in a long embrace with Mohammed bin Salman.[2]
On 9 April 2020, he was named by President
Upon assuming power, al-Kadhimi promised to guide Iraq through a serious financial crisis, saying the state treasury was “nearly empty” after years of waste and declining oil prices. Al-Kadhimi's cabinet vowed to reduce public spending and audit salaries granted to millions of Iraqis but retracted the plan after public criticism. In August 2020, he hired hundreds of unemployed Iraqis at the Ministry of Defense, but not enough to halt sit-ins outside other public sector offices demanding jobs. He has few allies in government and parliament is heavily dominated by pro-Iran MPs who have balked at his references to protester demands. He has also struggled to fulfill his promise to bring the security forces to justice who were allegedly responsible for the deaths of nearly 600 protesters and activists since October 2019. In addition, al-Kadhimi pledged to investigate the recent murders of journalists and political activists that have increased in the past year, but no one has been brought to justice yet.[17]
In July 2021, al-Kadhimi and U.S. President Joe Biden sealed an agreement to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021.[18] Following his visit to the United States, Iraq reclaimed 17,000 artifacts, mostly looted by ISIS and sold to the Museum of the Bible that were recovered by US authorities.[19]
Criticism
The prime minister has been criticized in failing to raise alarms when it was found that since September 2021, $2.5bn from the country's tax deposits were reported as missing, the allegations were made by the finance ministry under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani. Investigators believed that the money were distributed to politicians and used for bribes and hush-money. Former Finance Minister Ali Allawi mentioned that "senior officials and corrupt businessmen siphon billion from the public purse". The large volumes traded caused the dinar to fall and property prices in posh areas in Baghdad to rise.[20] According to the Washington Post an anti-corruption drive under Mustafa al-Kadhimi used torture and sexual violence on detainees.[21]
Accusation for the deaths of Soleimani and al-Muhandis
Assassination attempt
In the early hours of 7 November 2021, al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt via explosive drone, two drones were shot down by the army while the last one targeted his residence in the heavily fortified Green Zone district of Baghdad. The assassination attempt is suspected by many to be Iran’s response to Mustafa for his crackdown on Iranian supported militias and his strict policy of removing foreign influence in Iraq.[23]
On 8 November, a pair of anonymous regional officials and some (also anonymous) militia sources told Reuters that Iranian-backed militias were behind the attack, such as Kata'ib Hezbollah or Asaib Ahl al-Haq, also alleging that the weapons used by the perpetrators were made in Iran.[24]
According to experts, the assassination attempt came as a response to pro-Iranian parties losing seats in the 2021 Iraqi parliamentary election.[25]
References
- ^ a b "Is Mustafa Al-Kadhimi Sunni or Shiite?". Jannah News. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Who is Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq's new prime minister?". Al Jazeera. 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Mustafa al-Kadhimi sworn in as prime minister of Iraq". Rudaw. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ "IMF". www.iraqmemory.com. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Impersonating U.S. Intelligence Official, Oregon Man Wrote to Iraqi Prime Minister". KDRV News. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ a b "IMF". www.iraqmemory.com. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Mustafa al-Kadhimi | Author | RealClearWorld". www.realclearworld.com. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Iraqi politicians focus on buying, not convincing voters – By Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Al-Monitor – Jordan Vista". vista.sahafi.jo. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Iraqi man sentenced for illegally using US insignia". Star Tribune.
- ^ "Iraq Gets a Government—and It Was Worth the Wait".
- ^ "Basnews". www.basnews.com.
- ^ Mamouri, Ali (3 December 2019). "Iraq on brink of abyss: What happens next?". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Iraqi spy chief Mustafa Al Kadhimi rumoured to be prime ministerial contender". The National (Abu Dhabi). 29 December 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "Iraq names its third prime minister in 10 weeks". Reuters. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ Aldroubi, Mina (6 May 2020). "Iraqi Parliament confirms Mustafa Al Kadhimi as new Prime Minister". The National. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ^ "Iraq hospitals fear 'losing control' as coronavirus cases surge". Al Jazeera. 5 September 2020.
- ^ "Challenges in Iraq mount a year after anti-gov't protests erupted. The prime minister is seen by many as having an close relationship with the west and Saudi Arabia while being heavily opposed by Iran and Iranian-supported militias". Al Jazeera. 30 September 2020.
- ^ "Biden, Kadhimi seal agreement to end U.S. combat mission in Iraq". Reuters. 27 July 2021.
- ^ "Iraq Reclaims 17,000 Looted Artifacts, Its Biggest-Ever Repatriation". The New York Times. 3 August 2021.
- ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Marsin Alshamar (13 November 2020). "Six months into his premiership, what has Mustafa al-Kadhimi done for Iraq?". brookings.edu.
- ^ Davison, John; Rasheed, Ahmed (7 November 2021). "Iraqi PM safe after drone attack on residence, military says". Reuters. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "Iran-backed militia staged drone attack on Iraqi PM - officials". Reuters. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ "Iraqi PM al-Kadhimi survives drone attack on his home". BBC News. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
External links
| Mandatory Iraq (1920–1932) |
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| Kingdom of Iraq (1932–1958) |
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| Iraqi Republic (1958–1968) |
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| Ba'athist Iraq (1968–2003) |
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| Iraqi Governing Council (2003–2004) |
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| Republic of Iraq (since 2004) |
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