Abdul-Mahdi Archives - Iran News Daily

Abdul Mahdi joins martyred Soleimani funeral

reporter 1222 — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 10:28:41 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi took part in the ongoing funeral processions in Kazemein for Iran’s Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Unit deputy Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and six others, who were killed in a US terrorist attack in Baghdad.

The United States terrorist forces assassinated General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU in an attack at Baghdad’s international airport early on Friday. The Pentagon said in a statement that US President Donald Trump had ordered the attack.

The assassination has triggered a wave of rage among both Iranians and Iraqis and forged an unprecedented unity amid vociferous pledges of revenge.

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis chanting “Death to America” have joined the funeral procession for Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi anti-terror forces chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Political figures, including Abdul Mahdi, have condemned the attack on General Soleimani convoy, saying, the measure could spark a devastating war and joined his funeral.

“The assassination of an Iraqi military commander is an aggression on Iraq as a state, government, and people,” Abdul Mahdi said in a statement.

“Carrying out physical liquidation operations against leading Iraqi figures or from a brotherly country on the Iraqi lands is a flagrant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and a dangerous escalation that triggers a destructive war in Iraq, the region and the world,” he added.

Both Soleimani and Muhandis were popular figureheads in helping squelch an ominous rise of ISIL which once came as close as 30 km to Baghdad, while the US withdrew troops from Iraq and looked on.

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Iraqi PM pledges reform of mistakes to end the protests

reporter 1222 — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 06:04:10 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Saturday that political parties had “made mistakes” in their running of the country, promising electoral reform and other measures as he sought to bring an end to protests.

“Political forces and parties are important institutions in any democratic system, and they have made great sacrifices, but they have also made many mistakes,” Abdul Mahdi said in a statement, Reuters reported. The reform of mistakes was the core of his speech.

He made his remarks as security forces were trying to push protesters back from several major bridges in Baghdad that had been occupied for days. At least 34 people were injured as security forces launched tear gas and stun grenades to try to disperse protesters still grouped near the bridges.

On Friday, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s senior Shia Muslim cleric, urged the country’s ruling elite to seek a peaceful way out of the crisis in which at least 280 people have died.

The prime minister appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone toward protesters, who have demanded that he step down, saying that protests are a legitimate engine of political change. At the same time he urged demonstrators not to interrupt “normal life” in the country that has been hit economically by weeks of unrest.

Tens of thousands of people have protested across the country since Oct 1. Demonstrators are demanding an overhaul of the political system and criticizing corruption in the ruling class that has dominated the country since the US-led overthrow of former dictator Saddam Hussein in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“The protests have helped and will help pressure political groups, the government … to reform mistakes and accept change. However, continuing protests must allow for a return to normal life, which will lead to legitimate demands being met,” Abdul Mahdi said.

The protests began in Baghdad and quickly spread to the country’s southern provinces.

Abdul Mahdi also promised a ban on possession of weapons by non-state groups that have been accused of shooting demonstrators and investigations into protester deaths.

The prime minister, who announced a spate of reforms during the first wave of protests last month, added that new electoral reforms would be announced in the “coming few days”.

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Overthrowing Abdul Mahdi, Dangerous Plot of US

reporter 1222 — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 10:43:35 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News)- A senior Iraqi legislator warned that the US is hatching dangerous plots to disintegrate Iraq and form a Sunni-controlled territory by overthrowing Abdul Mahdi government.

Hunain al-Qaddo, the representative of al-Bana coalition in the Iraqi parliament, was quoted by the Arabic-language service of Sputnik as saying that the Kurds support the Sunni leaders’ willingness to establish an autonomous land to materialize their goal of separation from Iraq.

He added that the US is flagrantly supporting the disintegration of Iraq into tribal territories and is moving on the path of forming a Sunni-controlled land through overthrowing Abdul Mahdi government.

Al-Qaddo noted that Israel also supports the Kurds’ separatist tendencies, adding that the Americans have raised the issue of dividing Iraq into 3 to 5 regions which push the country into war and instability.

In relevant remarks in June, al-Qaddo had warned that the White House is after disintegrating Iraq with arming the tribes of the Arab country in Western regions bordered with Syria.

“Iraq does not need the US arming its tribes in al-Anbar Governorate, and this move of Washington is just aimed at disintegrating the [Arab] country,” he said in an interview with Baghdad al-Youm, an Iraqi news outlet, at the time.

“The Iraqi government is stronger than ever. We neither need the arming of tribes outside the framework of the establishment nor entering the country into an arms anarchy,” the Iraqi lawmaker underscored.

“What we need is to arm Iraqi security forces with advanced weapons and equipment,” he said, commenting on why some figures have called on the US-led coalition to arm tribes.

The tribal leaders in al-Anbar province revealed in May that the US has increased its attempts to arm the Iraqi tribes under the pretext of preparing them to the fight against terrorism.

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Iraq’s PM calls on ending protests in Iraq streets

reporter 1222 — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 12:30:34 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraq’s Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has called for ending protests in Iraq streets, saying that they are paralyzing the country and costing the economy “billions of dollars.”

In a statement published on Sunday, Abdul-Mahdi said that “it is a month that office buildings, schools, universities and a significant portion of social life have been shut down” due to the protests in Iraq streets.

“It is time for normalcy to be restored, for the markets to be opened and the factories, offices, schools, and universities to resume operating,” he said.

The Iraqi prime minister further explained that the protests have led to a halt in the activities of international and domestic investors who are leading development projects in the country.

He also said that the protests have caused a delay in the proposal of the country’s 2020 budget.

The Iraqi prime minister’s remarks came after demonstrators spilled out into the streets of the capital Baghdad and several other cities on Sunday as part of ongoing economic and anti-corruption protests in the country.

The demonstrators shut down streets, schools and government offices.

Consequently, Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main port in the Persian Gulf, has been at a complete standstill due to protests since Wednesday. The port receives the bulk of Iraq’s imports of grain, vegetable oils and sugar.

Speaking on Sunday, the Iraqi prime minister said that “threatening the oil interests and blocking roads leading to Iraq’s ports is causing big losses exceeding billions of dollars.”

He warned that the unrest was pushing up the prices of goods.

Abdul Mahdi also expressed concern regarding high casualties both among protesters and security forces, adding that certain individuals were infiltrating the rallies in a bid to target the protesters and security forces.

More than 200 have been killed and thousands of others wounded since the protests erupted in early October, with security forces using tear gas and rubber bullets against those taking to the streets.

The Iraqi premier also lauded the rallies in a statement, saying that the demonstrations, which “shook the political system”, have “achieved much of their objectives” in pushing the Iraqi establishment to “reconsider” its decisions and address the protesters’ concerns.

Abdul-Mahdi said that he welcomed continued protests as an expression of “free speech” and change, but urged the protesters to avoid participating in non-permitted street protests and to convene in predesignated areas.

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