Iraq's interior minister resigns

By Haydar Hadi

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraqi Interior Minister Mohamed Salim al-Ghabban tendered his resignation on Tuesday citing the war-torn country’s dismal security situation.

Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, al-Ghabban criticized what he described as the inefficiency of the country’s security and intelligence apparatuses, pointing in particular to a deadly bombing in central Baghdad that killed scores of people on Sunday.

"I have tendered my resignation to Prime Minister [Haidar] al-Abadi," he said.

"I can withdraw it again in the event that the security apparatus is adequately reformed," he added.

The move comes two days after a deadly car-bomb attack -- claimed by the Daesh terrorist group -- struck a busy shopping district in Baghdad, claiming more than 200 lives.

Al-Ghabban said security in Baghdad -- and in other cities throughout the country -- should be managed by the Interior Ministry’s police apparatus rather than the army.

"The deployment of army units inside cities and preventing police from dealing with security issues means the country’s ongoing security problems will continue," the former minister asserted.

Al-Ghabban went on to note that the assailant in Sunday’s deadly attack in Baghdad had come to the capital from the eastern city of Diyala.

*Anadolu Agency’s Sibel Ugurlu contributed to this report from Ankara.