Iraqi Parliament Holds Former Prime Minister Responsible for Fall of Mosul

A parliamentary committee in Iraq investigating the fall of Mosul last year and its takeover by extremists has found former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and 35 others responsible for the incident. Abdul Rahim Shammari and another unnamed member of the parliamentary inquiry committee told reporters that Mr. Maliki, who served as head of government from 2006 until last year, is among those deemed responsible for the fall of Mosul. The report prepared by this committee has been submitted to the parliament's presidency, and Salim al-Jabouri stated that it will be sent to the Attorney General for legal action. The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament has stated in a statement that 'no one is above the law and accountability to the people, and the judiciary will punish those responsible.' Hundreds of thousands of people in Iraq were displaced following the fall of Mosul and Nineveh. The attacks by the group known as the 'Islamic State' on Mosul began on June 9 of last year, and the next day, control of the city fell into the hands of extremists. Following the takeover of Mosul, the self-proclaimed Islamic State was able to seize control of relatively large areas in the north and west of Baghdad. Iraqi officials announced on June 20 of last year the fall of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, stating that government forces had fled the city. The next day, news of the fall of Tikrit was announced. A few days later, after 24 hours of fighting, Tal Afar also came under the control of the group known as the 'Islamic State.' Nouri al-Maliki, the then Prime Minister of Iraq, took a long time to eventually agree to step down while facing widespread opposition to relinquishing power. He was accused by many of sectarianism and favoring Shiites in the power structure. In August of that year, Haider al-Abadi took over as the new Prime Minister of Iraq, a country facing serious ethnic and religious challenges. In this context, the Prime Minister of Iraq agreed to the trial of several commanders of the country's army.