BAGHDAD
Twenty-six Iraqi Department of Defense commanders were dismissed on Wednesday by Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's office.
Another ten commanders were asked to retire, the statement said.
The reason for the commanders’ dismissal was not stated, however the statement said that the dismissed commanders had worked closely with former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki.
Meanwhile, Major General Qasim al-Muhammad was assigned as Anbar Operations Force commander in place of Rashid Felih. The appointment is part of a strategy to clear the Iraqi western province of Anbar from ISIL militants, Anbar City Council President Sabah Kerhut told The Anadolu Agency.
Since mid-June, fighting in Iraq has pitted the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces against militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. ISIL has taken control of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, as well as of large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The U.S. is leading an international coalition, which includes France, Germany, and Saudi Arabia, among others, that has carried out numerous airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
www.aa.com.tr/en
