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Will Mosul remain under military rule after liberation from IS?

Iraqi politicians have proposed appointing a military governor for Mosul after its liberation to prevent the city from falling back into the hands of terrorists.

Members of Iraqi special police force stand during clashes with Islamic State fighters in al-Shura, south of Mosul, Iraq October 29, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic     TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY      - RTX2QZ1T
Members of the Iraqi special police force are seen during clashes with Islamic State fighters in al-Shura, south of Mosul, Oct. 29, 2016. — REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

BAGHDAD — Jasim Mohammed Jaafar, a member of parliament close to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and a leader of the Shiite National Alliance, told local media Oct. 20 that the proposal to appoint a military governor in Mosul after its liberation from the Islamic State (IS) is a realistic solution that Abadi seeks to bring about.

The political forces are focused on this proposal, particularly since some of them believe that the security conditions and regional ambitions in Ninevah province require a customary military rule that would put the security situation under control and protect Iraq's second-largest city in terms of population from fragmentation and partition.

The other parties are all ears when it comes to this perspective, with every advancement of the Iraqi forces battling IS to restore the city and with the Turkish interference in Iraqi affairs and the future of Ninevah.

In an interview on Al-Ahed satellite TV Oct. 31, Kadhim al-Shammari, the head of Al-Watnayh coalition, said that his bloc supports “the appointment of a military governor for Mosul, as a part of Abadi’s constitutional powers.”

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