US President Donald Trump has warned Iraq about Nouri al-Maliki’s return as prime minister, saying the country had “descended into poverty and utter chaos” under the previous leader.
“We must not allow something like this to happen again,” President Trump posted on social media Tuesday. “Because of his insane policies and ideology, if elected president, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq. If we don’t come to the rescue, Iraq has zero chance of success, prosperity, and freedom. Let’s make Iraq great again!”
Al-Maliki, leader of the Islamic Dawa Party, served as Prime Minister of Iraq for two consecutive terms from 2006 to 2014.
CNN has reached out to al-Maliki’s office for comment.
He was again nominated as Iraq’s prime minister by the Shiite Coordination Framework, which has a majority in parliament, citing his “political and administrative experience and role in running the country.”
Iraq held national elections in November with 329 seats contested. The Shia alliance won 187 seats. Shiite Muslims make up the majority of Iraq’s population.
In a statement on Sunday, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid congratulated Al-Maliki on his nomination and expressed hope that his leadership will strengthen political stability, national partnership, and development in Iraq, as well as respond to the Iraqi people’s aspirations for security and service.
Born in 1968, al-Maliki joined the Iranian-backed Dawa Party, was sentenced to death for opposing Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime, and fled Iraq in 1979 and 1980. He returned to Iraq in 2003 following the US-led invasion.
Under al-Maliki’s regime, especially from late 2013 to early 2014, the Islamic State (ISIS) occupied several of Iraq’s major cities and large swathes of territory. This prompted the government to form Shiite-led militias to counter Sunni extremists. The United States has long opposed these armed groups and called for their disarmament.
In December, Trump’s special envoy to Iraq, Mark Savaya, warned Iraqi politicians to rein in non-state armed groups, warning that failure could lead Iraq to “disintegration and decline” more than two decades after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
Sabaya also warned that future decisions by Iraqi leaders “will determine whether Iraq advances toward sovereignty and strength or reverts to fragmentation and decline.”
