Defense minister arrives in Mosul

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Minister of Defense Abdelqader al-Obaidi arrived in the city of Mosul on Thursday and met with security officials there to discuss preparations for the forthcoming provincial council elections. “Obaidi arrived today (Jan. 29) in Ninewa province, which Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki left after paying a visit there,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. “We’ve come to help Iraq’s Independent Higher Electoral Commission (IHEC) to provide security during the elections and guarantee its transparency and fairness,” the source quoted Obaidi as saying in statements. The minister met with the province’s chief of operations Maj. General Hassan Kareem and the commanders of the Iraqi 2nd and 3rd divisions as well as the police chief in the city, the source added. Maliki had paid a visit to Mosul earlier on Thursday as part of the campaign for his Dawlat al-Qanoon (State of Law) coalition, he said. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa province, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. AmR (P) 1