Mustafa Al-Kadhimi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mustafa Al-Kadhimi
|
|
|---|---|
|
مصطفى الكاظمي
|
|
_(cropped)_(b).jpg)
Al-Kadhimi in 2020
|
|
| Prime Minister of Iraq | |
| In office 7 May 2020 – 27 October 2022 |
|
| President | Barham Salih Abdul Latif Rashid |
| Preceded by | Adil Abdul-Mahdi |
| Succeeded by | Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Acting 12 May 2020 – 6 June 2020 |
|
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Mohamed Ali Alhakim |
| Succeeded by | Fuad Hussein |
| Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service | |
| In office 7 June 2016 – 7 May 2020 |
|
| Prime Minister | Haider al-Abadi|Adil Abdul-Mahdi |
| Preceded by | Zuheir Fadel Abbas Ghirbawi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat
5 July 1967 Baghdad, First Iraqi Republic |
| Citizenship | |
| Political party | Independent |
| Residences | Republican Palace, Baghdad |
| Alma mater | Al Turath University College (LLB) |
| Occupation |
|
| Signature |  |
Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat (Arabic: مصطفى عبد اللطيف مشتت), born on July 5, 1967, is better known as Mustafa al-Kadhimi. He is an Iraqi politician, lawyer, and former intelligence officer. He served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from May 2020 to October 2022. Before becoming Prime Minister, he wrote for several news outlets and was the Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service. He also briefly served as the acting Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2020.
Contents
About Mustafa Al-Kadhimi
Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1967. His father, Abdul Latif, was from Al-Shatrah, a town in southern Iraq. His family later moved from Nasiriyah to Baghdad.
Al-Kadhimi was against the government of Saddam Hussein. In 1985, he left Iraq and lived in other countries like Iran, Germany, and the United Kingdom. He lived outside Iraq for many years and became a citizen of the UK.
After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Al-Kadhimi returned home. He helped start the Iraqi Media Network.
His Work as a Journalist
He worked as a writer and editor for the Iraqi version of Al-Monitor, a news website. He also wrote for many other publications. For three years, Al-Kadhimi was the senior editor of Iraq's Newsweek magazine. He has also written several books and studies.
Leading the Intelligence Service
Al-Kadhimi studied law at Al Turath University College. He was in charge of making the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS) better and more modern. He worked to make sure the intelligence service focused on its job, not on politics. He also brought in new ways to gather and analyze information.
Under his leadership, the agency became much stronger, especially in fighting against terrorist groups like ISIL (also known as Daesh). He helped Iraq in its fight against these groups. During his time, he built connections with many countries and groups that were also fighting ISIL.
Becoming Prime Minister of Iraq
.jpg)
In October 2019, large protests happened across Iraq. The Prime Minister at the time, Adel Abdul Mahdi, and his government resigned. After this, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi became a top choice to lead the country.
On April 9, 2020, President Barham Salih officially named him as the person chosen to be prime minister. He was the third person picked for the job in just 10 weeks. This happened after the previous choice, Adnan al-Zurfi, stepped down because he couldn't get enough support.
After almost six months of talks, Iraq's parliament approved Al-Kadhimi as Prime Minister of Iraq on May 6, 2020. Before taking office, Al-Kadhimi said his government would solve Iraq's many problems. He promised to hold early elections and said Iraq would not be used as a battlefield by other countries. He took office during a difficult time, with big protests, low oil prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Challenges as Prime Minister
When he became Prime Minister, Al-Kadhimi promised to help Iraq through a serious money crisis. He said the country's treasury was "almost empty" because of past spending and falling oil prices. His government planned to spend less money and check salaries, but they changed this plan after people complained.
In August 2020, he hired many unemployed Iraqis at the Ministry of Defense. However, this was not enough to stop protests by people demanding jobs. He also faced challenges because some groups in parliament, who had strong ties to Iran, did not always agree with his plans.
Al-Kadhimi also promised to investigate violence against protesters and journalists that had increased. He also worked to get back valuable historical items that had been stolen from Iraq. In July 2021, he and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021. After his visit to the United States, Iraq got back 17,000 ancient artifacts that had been stolen.
Attempted Assassination
In the early morning of November 7, 2021, Al-Kadhimi survived an attack at his home in Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone. Attackers used explosive drones. Two drones were shot down by the army, but one hit his home. Many people believe this attack was related to his efforts to reduce foreign influence in Iraq and his actions against certain armed groups.
Some officials and sources from armed groups told Reuters that groups supported by Iran were behind the attack. They also claimed the weapons used were made in Iran. Experts believe the attack happened because pro-Iranian groups lost seats in the 2021 Iraqi parliamentary election.
See also
In Spanish: Mustafa Al-Kadhimi para niños
