Former Iraqi PM: US could have stopped IS with 2008 security deal
In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki discussed the country's relationship with the United States, the ongoing battle against the Islamic State and the role of the Popular Mobilization Units.
Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's controversial former — and possibly future — prime minister, is the most influential player in Iraq’s political process.
He heads the State of Law Coalition, the major player in the largely Shiite National Alliance, which in turn is the largest bloc in parliament. He also heads the Reform Front, which led a recent campaign that resulted in the firings of Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi and Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
Maliki says he helped launch the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) after the Islamic State (IS) occupied Sunni-majority provinces during his terms as prime minister from 2006 to 2014. Observers have not ruled out his return to that position after parliamentary elections in 2018.
Al-Monitor met Maliki at his office in Baghdad for an exclusive interview. The text of the interview follows:
