Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi sacked
the head of the Baghdad security command and other officials after a bombing in
the capital killed 292 people, his office said on Friday (Jul 8).
Abadi
issued "an order to relieve the Baghdad Operations commander of his
position, and relieving security and intelligence officials in Baghdad of their
positions," a statement said.
The head
of the Baghdad Operations Command was Lieutenant General Abdulamir al-Shimmari,
but the premier's office did not identify the other officials who were removed.
A suicide
bomber detonated an explosives-laden minibus in a Baghdad shopping district early
on Sunday as it teemed with people ahead of the holiday marking the end of the
holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The blast,
which was claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group, killed 292 people,
making it one of the deadliest ever bombings by militants in the country.
The
initial blast killed a limited number of people, but raging flames spread and
trapped people inside shopping centres at the site that lacked emergency exits,
police Major General Talib Khalil Rahi said.
Interior
Minister Mohammed Ghabban tendered his resignation following the bombing, and
authorities also announced the execution of five convicts and the arrest of 40
jihadists in an apparent bid to limit the fallout from the attack.
Ghabban
criticised the security system as fundamentally flawed, saying he could no
longer accept responsibility for the consequences and calling for a series of
changes that would ultimately increase the ministry's power.
An
official in Abadi's office told AFP on Wednesday that the premier had accepted
the minister's resignation, though there has been no official statement from
him on the matter.
IS overran
large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since
regained significant territory from the jihadists.
In
response to the battlefield setbacks, the Sunni extremist group has hit back
against civilians, and experts have warned there may be more bombings as the
jihadists continue to lose ground.
Representative
Image
Source: channelnewsasia
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