BAGHDAD
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has agreed to sack the Anbar provincial police chief Hadi Kassar, amid an ongoing military operation in the restive western Iraqi region.
"Al-Maliki has agreed to replace Kassar him with Major General Ismail al-Mahallawi upon the request of al-Anbar local government," head of Anbar provincial council Sabah Karhout told Anadolu Agency on Sunday.
"[Al-Mahallawi] was chosen for his qualifications and experience in managing the province's security file," he said, adding that the new police chief has already assumed his new post.
Karhout, however, did not specify the reason behind Kassar sacking.
The predominantly-Sunni Anbar province has recently been the scene of mounting violence between army troops and armed Sunni tribesman.
Clashes erupted in the province last Monday after government troops moved in to evict a months-old sit-in in Ramadi, the provincial capital, staged by Sunni tribesmen opposed to al-Maliki's Shiite-dominated government.
The sit-in dispersal came two days after Sunni lawmaker Ahmed al-Alwani, a prominent anti-Maliki protest organizer, was arrested in a raid on his Ramadi home by Iraqi forces. Six people were killed in the raid, including al-Alwani's brother.
By Suleiman al-Qubeisi
englishnews@aa.com.tr
