Iraq's parliament impeached Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi on Thursday over corruption allegations, removing him from office as the army gears up for an assault on the Islamic State group's stronghold of Mosul.
Two lawmakers said parliament voted 142-102 to withdraw confidence from al-Obeidi after questioning him this month about weapons contracts. He had denied the corruption allegations and in turn accused the parliament speaker, Salim al-Jabouri, and five other lawmakers of wrongdoing.
Al-Obeidi, a Sunni Muslim ally of Shiite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, had spearheaded the military campaign to retake territory that the ultra-hardline Sunni Islamic State group seized in 2014 and said he had cut down on graft including ghost soldiers — members of the military who do not exist but whose salaries are collected.
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