Why does Iraq want to bring back dismissed security forces?
The Iraqi parliament wants to implement a decision to repatriate Iraqi soldiers who abandoned their posts during the rise of the Islamic State in 2014, but some are worried about the motives behind the decision.
BAGHDAD — Dismissed officers welcomed the decision to repatriate security officers who had fled Iraq, after the Iraqi parliament voted on their return Dec. 4.
On Dec. 17, the parliamentary Security and Defense Committee announced that with the beginning of the new legislative term in 2017 it would follow up on the implementation of the law to repatriate those dismissed from the army, police and security institution, or others who escaped or whose contracts had been terminated.
The decision was taken more than a month after the launch of the Mosul liberation operations to recapture the city from the Islamic State (IS), which had been in control since June 2014. At that time, the army collapsed and left its weapons on the battlefield, while the military leaders accused of handing over the city to IS fled.
The decision received conflicting responses from political blocs. The State of Law Coalition believes the decision was made because of political motives and because certain political parties would benefit from it.
