Iraqi lawmakers approve defense, interior ministers

The Iraqi parliament on Monday approved new defense and interior ministers in Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's cabinet, the official Iraqi television reported.

The new defense minister, Erfan al-Haiyali, and interior minister, Qasim al-A'raji, were sworn in after the parliament approval, state-run Iraqiya channel said.

Erfan al-Haiyali, also known as Erfan al-Hadithi, is a prominent army officer, who works for the elite Counter-Terrorism Service forces. He was sentenced to death during the reign of Saddam Hussein for participation in a coup attempt but fled the country.

A'raji, the interior minister, is a prominent figure in the Shiite Badr Organization, headed by Hadi al-Ameri, whose organization was previously known as Badr Brigade, which maintains longtime ties with neighboring Iran, where it was first established during the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran war.

Former interior minister Mohammed al-Ghabban resigned in July after a bombing that killed and injured hundreds of people in Karrda district in central Baghdad.

The former defense minister, Khalid al-Obeidi, was sacked in August after the parliament passed a vote of no-confidence against him over allegations of huge graft in his ministry. Endit