Has Iraq found a prime minister in the person of Mustafa Al-Kadhimi? At 53, the chief of intelligence is the third candidate to attempt to form a government in four months, after being appointed by President Barham Saleh on Thursday April 9.
The pro-Iranian camp obtained the withdrawal of Adnane Zorfi, whom he saw as a "American agent", but has, as a compromise, conceded to support Mr. Al-Kadhimi, a moderate independent who made consensus among the political class. "This proves that no one can impose their will: neither a political bloc nor a foreign power. It was not the first choice of either Washington or Tehran. His designation is the result of a broad agreement between Shia parties, but also Kurds and Sunnis ", comments Mohamed Radhi, member of the Shiite Al-Hikma party.
Born in Baghdad in 1967 to a Shiite family and a law graduate, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi went into exile in Iran and then in Britain to escape the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Journalist and essayist, he returned to Iraq after the 2003 American invasion. He helped found the Iraqi Media Network and an online newspaper, Al-Monitor, and documented the crimes of the Baathist regime within the Iraqi Memory Foundation. In June 2016, Haïder Al-Abadi, then Prime Minister, chose him to head the intelligence services during the war against the Islamic State (IS) organization.
In the shadow of office, this pragmatic, emaciated man cultivates his relationships with foreign intelligence agencies and diplomats, especially the Americans and the countries members of the anti-IS coalition. He is their interlocutor for the file of foreign jihadists. " He has extensive relations in the Arab world, particularly in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and the Gulf. He worked closely with the Saudis to restore ties after 2016 and developed a close relationship with the Crown Prince, Mohammed Ben Salman "Sajad Jiyad from Bayan Center in Baghdad adds, describing him as a man "Measured, non-confrontational, which emphasizes dialogue".
"Iran respects Mr. Al-Kadhimi"
Favorite of President Saleh to replace Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi after his resignation under pressure from the street, in late November 2019, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is rejected by the Al-Fatih coalition, which brings together pro-Iranian Shiite militias. She had already rejected her candidacy in 2018 against Mr. Abdel Mahdi. As tensions increase between Washington and Tehran, she accuses him of being too close to the Americans. The militia of the Hezbollah Brigades even accuses him – without providing evidence – of having helped the American forces to assassinate, by a drone strike, on January 3, in Baghdad, the Iranian general Ghassem Soleimani and his lieutenant in Iraq, Abou Mahdi Al-Mohandes.
