Iraq probe finds Maliki, others responsible for Mosul fall: MPs

Baghdad

An Iraqi parliamentary investigation found ex-premier Nuri al Maliki and 35 others responsible for jihadists overrunning second city Mosul, in a report being sent for possible legal action, lawmakers said yesterday.

While various top commanders and political leaders have long been viewed as responsible for the Islamic State jihadist group's disastrous takeover of the city, the report is the first time they have been named officially.

Investigative committee member MP Abdulrahim al Shammari said that Maliki, who was prime minister from 2006 until last year, was among those named, as did another member who declined to be identified. The inclusion of Maliki's name was a source of controversy on the committee, with his Dawa party pushing for it to be omitted.

The report detailing findings of the investigation, which has yet to be publicly released, has been presented to parliament speaker Salim al Juburi, who said it would be sent to the prosecutor general for legal action.

"No one is above the law and the questioning of the people, and the judiciary will punish those" responsible, Juburi said in a statement. IS launched a devastating offensive on June 9 last year, overrunning Mosul the next day and then sweeping through large areas north and west of Baghdad.

Multiple Iraqi divisions collapsed during the initial assault in the north, in some cases abandoning weapons and other equipment the jihadists then used to further their drive. Maliki is widely viewed as having exacerbated sectarian tensions between the country's Shia majority and the Sunni Arab minority.