Iraqi Parliament fills out government with backdrop of Islamic State challenge

Iraq’s Parliament has approved a series of key ministers after a month of wrangling, completing the formation of a unity government as the country’s military and security forces struggle to push back the Islamic State.

Publicly, most Iraqi parliamentarians called the appointments a step in the right direction, but others dismissed them as politically motivated and the appointees themselves as inexperienced.

“I think it’s a good sign” says Mowaffak al-Rubaie, a longtime Shiite statesman who represents Baghdad in Parliament and was a security adviser to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

“Now that Mr. Abadi has completed his Cabinet, the government can function,” Rubaie explained.

Shortly after being sworn in as prime minister in September, Haider al-Abadi’s initial nominations to the ministries of the Interior and Defense were rejected. The ensuing political deadlock fueled concerns that Abadi would be unable to bring about political reconciliation between Iraq’s Sunnis and Shiites, a key requirement for U.S. aid to the country’s floundering military in the fight against the Islamic State.

Sunni distrust of Maliki’s Shiite-dominated government and his increasingly sectarian policies were seen as a one of the principal factors leading to the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq.

U.S. officials lauded the completion of the Cabinet as critical to building a durable coalition to defeat the Islamic State.

“Significantly, this is the first time since 2010 that Iraq has had a full Cabinet with security ministers confirmed by the Iraqi Parliament,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

Vice President Joe Biden phoned Abadi and discussed “the work ahead, including steps to rebuild Iraq’s security forces and enlist all of Iraq’s communities in the fight against the Islamic State,” the White House said.

The Interior Ministry went to Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, a Shiite lawmaker with the controversial Badr Organization. Abadi’s previous nominee for the post was Hadi al-Amiri, the head of Badr and the former minister of transportation.

Amiri said he was satisfied with the choice of Ghabban.

“He was my choice, “Amiri said, “I told Abadi from day one it didn’t have to be me, it could be anyone from Badr.”

The Badr Organization’s armed wing has been accused of human rights abuses, including sectarian killings.

A Sunni parliamentarian from Mosul, Khaled al-Obeidi, will head the Ministry of Defense. The choice of a politician from Mosul is a symbolically important move as the city was the first major Iraqi metropolis to fall under the control of the Islamic State when militants swept across northern Iraq in June.

“I see both appointments as weak,” said a senior Iraqi politician from a powerful Shiite bloc in Parliament who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely. “They’re young, inexperienced and not that bright.”

As for what the appointments say about the future of Abadi’s prime ministership, the senior politician described it as “not promising.”

Parliament also approved a tourism minister, a women’s affairs minister and a minister of immigration and displacement. Two Kurdish ministers were also sworn in, which former Kurdish parliamentarian Mahmoud Othman described as important because it could signal more cooperation between Iraq’s Kurdish region and the central government in Baghdad.

“When they took that oath that means they are now part of this government and so now I think they should start serious talks,” Othman said in reference to ongoing budget disagreements between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad.

But, he said, , ultimately he saw all of Saturday’s appointments as pure politics. “The qualification comes second,” he said. “They are all capable of doing the job, but I don’t think they will do it well.”

Later on Saturday, a car bomb exploded near a cafe just south of Baghdad, killing four people and wounding 14 others. Another bomb near a small restaurant in Baghdad’s western district of Ghazaliyah killed three people and wounded 16 others.

In the town of Mahmoudiya, some 20 miles south of Baghdad, a car bomb exploded on a commercial street, killing four people and wounding 16 others, said police.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualties. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

This story was originally published October 18, 2014 at 9:32 PM with the headline "Iraqi Parliament fills out government with backdrop of Islamic State challenge."