Former top Iraqi general says he had to resign

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Former Iraqi army Chief of Staff General Babakir Zebari, a Kurd, says he retired from his post last month because he could not exercise his powers.

“Despite the great obstacles, the Iraqi army will survive,” Zebari said during an interview with Rudaw TV aired Monday. Below are highlights of the interview.

Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) will not be formed in the Kurdistan region.

Zebari said, “The PMUs are subject to the orders of the Iraqi army,” adding that such units will not be formed in the Kurdistan region “because the central government knows that the Kurdistan region has the Peshmerga forces and its own systems in the Peshmerga and Interior Ministries.”

Baghdad facilitated sending weapons to the Kurdistan region.

“All the weapons that reached the Kurdistan region came through Baghdad and it made the necessary facilitations in this regard,” Zebari said. “The sent weapons did not undergo inspection and were being delivered to the Kurdistan region upon arrival.”

The low Kurdish presence in the Iraqi army is determined by the Kurds. 

“The Kurds form less than 1 percent of the Iraqi army,” Zebari said, attributing the low percentage to the Kurds because they rejected remaining in the Iraqi army. “The events that happened in Mosul, Kirkuk, and Salahadin led to the dissolution of the 3rd, 4th and 12th Divisions of the Iraqi army, that included Kurdish soldiers and officers. The command wanted those divisions to join the Kirkuk military base, but they refused to obey the orders.”

“The political leadership was not involved in this. It happened by accident. When those divisions were dissolved, the soldiers went to their homes,” he added. “When a pardon was issued, the soldiers did not rejoin the other military units in south and central Iraq.”

The previous Iraqi leadership neglected plans to build a strong Iraqi army.

“Despite the obstacles Iraq still has an army,” Zebari said. “Most of the NATO members contributed in arming and supporting the Iraqi army through sending experts and advisors for training. But that system did not continue after the withdrawal of the US from Iraq. The former Iraqi leadership neglected the plans that we designed for strengthening the Iraqi army, which led to where we are at currently.”

“I resigned because I could not carry out my duties,” he continued.

Zebari offered his resignation four times in the past, saying “if one could not carry out his duties, then he should leave his post.” He added: “If you do not leave your post, then all the future shortcomings will be your fault. I resigned because I could not exercise my powers and the president of the Kurdistan region was aware of that.”

The Iraqi government will be making a big mistake if they do not appoint Lieutenant General Anwar Hama Amin.

The president of the Kurdistan region has nominated Lieutenant General Anwar Hama Amin to succeed Zebari, who said Amin’s nomination “was a good thing. The federal Iraqi government will make a big mistake if they do not appoint him in my place.”
 
 
Zebari retired from his post after offering his resignation in late June and returning to the Kurdistan region.