Khaled al-Obaidi

Khaled al-Obaidi

al-Obaidi meets US Secretary of Defence, April 2015
Defense Minister of Iraq
In office
18 October 2014  19 August 2016
President Fuad Masum
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi
Preceded by Saadoun al-Dulaimi
Succeeded by Othman Ghanm (Interim)
Personal details
Born Mosul, Iraq
Political party Itihad al-Quwa al-Wataniyah
Alma mater University of Baghdad, Keele University
Military service
Service/branch Iraqi Army
Rank Major general

Khaled Yassin al-Obaidi[1] was the Iraqi Defense Minister from 2014 to 2016.

Biography

Khalid Yassin al-Obaidi is a Sunni Muslim who was born in Mosul.[2] He belongs to the al-Obaidi tribal confederation.[3] al-Obaidi is a member of the Iraqi parliament's Itihad al-Quwa al-Wataniyah bloc.[4] He holds two master's degree in engineering and military science as well as a doctorate in political science.[5] He served in the Iraqi Air Force, specialising in engineering aircraft engines until 2003 when he was appointed as a university professor by the Ministry of Higher Education. He was appointed as the Technical Education Authority by the Ministry of Education in 2007[6][5] and has also served as a security advisor for the Nineveh Governor. He was nominated for the post of Defense Minister in 2010 however he was rejected.[7] He was also a Major general in the Iraqi Army.[3]

On 18 October 2014, he was appointed as the Defence Minister of Iraq.[2] In August 2016, al-Obeidi was voted out of power through a no-confidence vote in the parliament, with majority of lawmakers voting against him over allegations of corruption. He is the first incumbent defence minister to receive a no-confidence vote in Iraq after the toppling of the Iraqi government in 2003.[6][8] Othman Ghanm was appointed as the interim Defence Minister by the Iraqi government on 29 August 2016.[9]

References

  1. "Iran would fully stand by Iraqi govt., nation". Mehr News Agency.
  2. 1 2 "Iraq MPs approve two key ministers". Al Jazeera. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Khaled al-Obeidi / Khalid al-UBAYDI". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  4. "Where does tribal influence fit in Iraqi politics?". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi's government finally complete". Al Monitor. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  6. 1 2 "The Sacking of Iraq's Defense Minister". STRATFOR. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  7. Mustafa al-Furati (20 October 2014). "Key ministers appointed to restore security in Iraq". Al-Akhbar. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  8. "Iraqi defense minister gets no-confidence vote amid offensive against ISIS". Haaretz. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  9. Baxtiyar Goryan (29 August 2016). "Iraqi government assigns interim Defense Minister". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 15 October 2016.


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