Iraq lawmakers approve interior, defense ministers

Iraqi lawmakers have approved all of the remaining positions in Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's government, including the critical posts of defense and interior ministers amid the country's battle with the Islamic State group.

Lawmakers today approved Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, a Shiite lawmaker with al-Abadi's State of Law political bloc, as minister of interior. Khaled al-Obeidi, a Sunni lawmaker from the besieged city of Mosul, has been selected for the post of defense minister.

Control over the two powerful security ministries has long been a source of tension among Iraq's feuding political factions.

On Sept 16, Al-Abadi put forward Sunni lawmaker Jaber al-Jabberi as his candidate for defense minister and Shiite lawmaker Riyad Ghareeb as his pick for interior minister, but both were rejected by parliament.