Last week witnessed a refreshing amount of good news from Iraq. Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi’s government signed a deal with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to finally bring to an end a stand-off that threatened to push Arbil and Baghdad further apart. Arbil finally agreed to export Kurdish oil through the central government, instead of continuing to undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, in return for a resumption of cash transfers to the KRG that would allow it to pay salaries.
Last week also witnessed the recapture of the strategic Iraqi town of Beiji from Daesh militants. Beiji’s significance lies not only in the fact that it is home to one of the country’s biggest refineries, but also because it lies on a highway leading to the Daesh stronghold of Mosul. The loss of Beiji would certainly be read as a strategic defeat for the fanatics. But perhaps most importantly, Al Abadi took the bold move of purging dozens of commanders in Iraq’s military, a move that is likely to resonate far and wide — domestically and regionally. While it is unknown so far who exactly the commanders are, they are said to be high ranking. However, Al Abadi should be reminded that the biggest task remains unfulfilled. That is reining in the Shiite militias that have adopted some of the barbarity of their enemies in trying to counter them, and building trust with the Sunni community that is absolutely vital to defeat the radicals.
