Former Iraqi Army Chief of Staff Says Maliki Wanted Mosul to Fall
It is better to be taken over by IS than to be protected by Peshmerga," Maliki had said
Basnews English 08 February 2017
Iraq
ERBIL — Babaker Zebari, former chief of staff of the Iraqi army, stated that the Iraqi former PM Nouri al-Maliki wanted Mosul to fall into the hands of the Islamic State (IS) rather than be protected by the Peshmerga forces.

The retired Kurdish General in the Iraqi army said in an interview with Gulan newspaper that Maliki was the reason behind the fall of Mosul He stated that Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani contacted Maliki and stated his readiness to send the Peshmerga forces to Mosul to protect the city , but Maliki had said "It is better to be taken over by IS than to be protected by Peshmerga."

Zebari said he was informed by Ali Ghedan, then commander of Iraqi ground forces that Maliki wanted Mosul to fall

According to Zebari, Maliki long wished for a battle between the Iraqi army and Peshmerga

A huge amount of military equipment belonging to five Iraqi army brigades fell into the hands of the IS organization which significantly enhanced the group's capacity to further seize the Iraqi territories

He also revealed that Sinjar fell to IS due to the collaboration of the Arab tribes in the villages west of Mosul

Regarding the presence of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) forces in Sinjar, Zebari said their presence is for creating unrest in the area and providing Turkey with justifications for interventions in the Kurdistan Region internal affairs

He added that the PKK forces were a barrier to rescuing 4,300 Yezidis in Kojo village

Zebari is a former Kurdish politician and retired General in the Iraqi Army. He was chief of staff of the Iraqi army from 2003 to 2015. https://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/329012