17 Facts About Mustafa Al-Kadhimi

Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat, known as Mustafa al-Kadhimi, alternatively spelt Mustafa al-Kadhimy, is an Iraqi politician, lawyer, bureaucrat and former intelligence officer who served as the prime minister of Iraq from May 2020 to October 2022.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi previously served as columnist for several news outlets and the Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, originally appointed in June 2016.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi briefly served as Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs in an acting capacity in 2020.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's return comes at the invitation of political leaders who see his role as crucial in helping safeguard the country from an economic crisis that could jeopardize political stability.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi later migrated from Nasiriyah to Baghdad as a student.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was a vocal opponent of the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi escaped Iraq in 1985 for Iran then Germany, before settling in the United Kingdom, and lived in exile for several years, eventually becoming a citizen of the UK.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was a columnist and an editor of the Iraqi version of Al-Monitor and contributed to various outlets.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has published a number of books and studies.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was the senior editor of Iraq's Newsweek magazine for three years.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi oversaw ending the politicization of intelligence action, implementing advanced methods to intelligence gathering and analysis, and setting priorities to broaden the scope of the work of the National Intelligence Service.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi made headlines when he was seen in a long embrace with Mohammed bin Salman.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi promised early elections and vowed Iraq would not be used as a battleground by other countries.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's cabinet vowed to reduce public spending and audit salaries granted to millions of Iraqis but retracted the plan after public criticism.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has few allies in government and parliament is heavily dominated by pro-Iran MPs who have balked at his references to protester demands.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has struggled to fulfill his promise to bring the security forces to justice who were allegedly responsible for the deaths of nearly 600 protesters and activists since October 2019.

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was criticized in failing to raise alarms when it was found that since September 2021, $2.5bn from the country's tax deposits were reported as missing, the allegations were made by the finance ministry under Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani.