Defense minister leaves Mosul

NINEWA / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Defense Minister Abdelqader al-Obaidi Mosul, where he paid a visit in the western part of the city to inspect the Iraqi forces there, according to a security source within the Ninewa Operations Command (NOC) on Saturday. “Obaidi was accompanied by NOC Commander Lt. General Riad Jalal Tawfiq on this field visit to the neighborhoods of al-Islah al-Ziraie and al-Siha, western Mosul, where he inspected military and security troops,” the source told IraqiNews.com. “Obaidi, who had arrived at 08:00 a.m. in Mosul, met with security commanders to discuss the situation in the province of Ninewa and get acquainted with security developments there,” the source added. Iraqi security forces have been conducting since May 2008 military campaigns as part of Operation Umm al-Rabiain, launched by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the same month to track down members of al-Qaeda network. The city, during the next half of September, has witnessed acts of violence targeting Iraqi Christians, prompting many families to re-locate to the peripheries of the province or leave the country. Intervention by the government and security forces helped restore calm to the city and bring displaced families back. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. AmR (S) 1