Iraqi Foreign Minister: We are taking seriously America’s signals regarding al-Maliki’s nomination
Iraqi Foreign Minister: We are taking seriously America’s signals regarding al-Maliki’s nomination
2026-02-13 02:07
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein confirmed on Friday that the nomination of State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki for the position of Prime Minister in the next federal government is an “internal matter,” but at the same time he said, “We are taking seriously America’s signals regarding the appointment of al-Maliki.”
On January 27, 2026, US President Donald Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform that the return of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to the premiership was “something that should not be allowed,” considering that Iraq had “slid into poverty and chaos” during his previous term.
This came in statements reported by Reuters, quoting Hussein, who also addressed the issue of transferring ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq. He said that “about 3,000 of those prisoners have been transferred from Syria, and the process is still ongoing,” adding that “we are holding talks with Arab and Islamic countries to hand over their citizens, and European countries are more hesitant.”
The minister continued, saying that Iraq “needs more financial support to deal with the influx of ISIS prisoners,” adding that there is no change in plans for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by the end of 2026.
shafaq.com
