ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—In a meeting with political figures and government officials from Nineveh province Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has promised that Mosul will be governed in a decentralized system once the Islamic State (ISIS) has been expelled from the city.
“The government’s policy is decentralization,” Abadi’s office said in a statement following the Monday meeting. “We are moving on that policy and insist to give the provinces irreversible authority.”
Abadi said that the military offensive retake Mosul from ISIS would be the easy part of the job, adding that “the difficult part will be after liberation,”
“So this requires a united voice and stance between all the entities and communities of the province,” his statement read.
“We have achieved important victories in the first and second phases of the battle,” he said. “Soon the Iraqi flag will be raise in Mosul, and we will be moving with the liberation plan.”
The Iraqi prime minister told his Mosul guests that included Nineveh governor, according to his office, that ISIS has exploited political differences and disputes to spread sedition in Iraq and that all sides should unite against the group.
Abadin insisted in particular on keeping the Sunni and Shiite militia groups known as Hashd from labeling and division across sectarian lines.
“The Hashd forces should not be divided among the tribes and parties in Mosul, because we want them to fight,” he said, adding that Mosul’s strength comes from its diversity.
The Iraqi premier said that the international community had promised aid packages to help Mosul get back on its feet after liberation.
“The international community promised to send aid packages and we are waiting for the fulfillment of those promises that started shortly after the credible victories achieved by our heroes,” Abadi said. “The world is optimistic that Iraq can take on the ISIS gangsters militarily.”
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