Abdul Qadir Obeidi
| Abdulqder Alobeidi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Defence Minister of Iraq | |
|
In office 2006–2010 | |
| President | Jalal Talabani |
| Prime Minister | Nouri al-Maliki |
| Preceded by | Saadoun al-Dulaimi |
| Succeeded by | Nouri al-Maliki (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1947 Baghdad, Iraq |
| Political party | Independent |
| Profession | Military Officer, Politician |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Awards | 4 medals of honor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Iraq |
| Service/branch | Iraqi Army |
| Years of service |
1966–1994 (court martialled) 2003–2006 |
Lt. Gen. Abdul Qadir Mohammed Jassim Obeidi al-Mifarji' (
i/ˈæbdʊl ˈkɑːdər ɑː mɪˈfɑːrdʒi/; Arabic: عبدالقادر محمد جاسم المفرجي) was the Defence Minister of Iraq in the Council of Ministers of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki from 2006 to 2010. He was not reappointed in the Iraqi Council of Ministers approved on 21 December 2010; as a result, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is the acting defence minister.
When he became the minister of defense in 2006, He improved the new Iraqi army and rebuilt it from the ground after 2003, by reinforcing again the same rules and principals which had been used for establishing the Iraqi army in 1921 .
Life
Alobeidi was born in Baghdad in 1947, as a Sunni Arab. A major general in the Iraqi army during Saddam Husain's time. He finished all his education (primary, mid, and high school) in Baghdad, then he attended the Iraqi Military college (الكلية العسكرية) in 1966 and graduated with honor in 1968 as a second lieutenant. In 1973, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense sent him to study in the Soviet Union to study Aerodynamics, specialized in Tanks weapons (Master's of Science) from Vestrel academy of military science in Moscow and graduated in 1975. In 1977, he attended the Iraqi staff college and graduated in 1979. Alobeidi is considered one of the Iraqi officers who greatly participated in developing the Iraqi Armored Corps; moreover, he became the commander of the Iraqi armored corps from 1988-1992. He has several publications and studies regarding the Tanks and Ballistics.
He told the Council of Representatives that he had been demoted after opposing the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and was sentenced to seven years jail in 1994 and put under security watch after he released from the prison till 2003. In 2003, he joined the new Iraqi army, serving first as the commander of the operations room and then commander of military operations in western Iraq. Prior to his appointment as Minister on 8 June 2006, he was commander of the infantry commando units.
During his confirmation hearing in the Council of Representatives one Assembly member accused him of being a "war criminal in a military campaign against the city of Fallujah."
He is not affiliated with any political party but his appointment was strongly backed by the Sunni Arab-led Iraqi Accord Front.
In March 2007 he said that "corruption and militias inhabit the halls" of the Defense Ministry, "fictitious employees" were "rampant" and he is pressured to restructure his ministry along the lines of power-sharing deals.
In October 2008 he announced that all soldiers and other employees of the Ministry would be forbidden from joining any political party, running for political office, working on any political campaign or even attending political demonstrations.[1]
He was banned from the 2010 Iraqi elections due to alleged links with the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party which were fabricated.[2]
References
- Key Iraq ministers get approval, BBC News, 8 June 2006
- A Glance at Iraq's new security ministers, Associated Press, 8 June 2006
- USG Open Source Center Profile
- Iraq Papers Thur: Defense Minister Speaks Out, Zaman via IraqSlogger, 2007-03-21, accessed on 2007-04-17
External links
Media related to Qadir Obeidi at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Saadoun al-Dulaimi |
Defence Minister 2006–2010 |
Succeeded by Nouri al-Maliki (acting) |