Political turmoil in Nineveh intensifies as leaked documents spark outrage

Shafaq News/ The political conflict in Nineveh has intensified over the past few days, with political blocs trading accusations after the provincial council's vote last week on exemptions and appointments involving 20 administrative unit heads. The votes were cast by the "Future Nineveh" bloc, which holds 16 out of the 29 seats in the Nineveh council.

Unified Nineveh and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which together hold 13 seats, boycotted the voting session, announced the suspension of their membership, and claimed that the session was illegal.

Leaked Documents Question "Saleh"

Among the political turmoil, leaked documents have emerged, revealing administrative orders from the provincial council. One order dismissed Esam Behnam Metti, the district governor of Al-Hamdaniya, and appointed Samer Youssef Habib as his replacement.

The document, obtained by Shafaq News Agency, indicated that Behnam's dismissal was due to exceeding the legal term limit, a reason mistakenly linked to Saleh Hassan Ali.

Another document, also signed by Nineveh Council Chairman Ahmed Al-Hasood, dismissed Mohammed Kanaan, the director of the Tel district, and appointed Tariq Darak in his place. This document also erroneously cited Saleh Hassan Ali for exceeding the legal term limit.

The leaked documents have triggered social media outrage in Nineveh, with residents mocking the council's administrative standards.

Social media users sarcastically questioned, "Who is Saleh, and what is his connection to these decisions?"

Who is Saleh?

Saleh Hassan Ali is the director of the Qayyarah sub-district and also serves as the acting governor of Mosul. He is also on the exemption list as the director of Qayyarah, but his name appears in unrelated documents.

Political activist Mohammad Ghadoub told Shafaq News, "Is it possible that the highest legislative and oversight authority in Nineveh governorate issues such documents?"

Ghadoub added, "How do such errors go unnoticed by employees and through the chain of references, including the section director and the office director of the Nineveh Provincial Council chairman?" He concluded with a laugh, "What does Saleh have to do with it?"

Former Nineveh Governor Athil Al-Nujaifi commented on his personal Facebook page, "A word of advice to the Chairman of the Nineveh Provincial Council: Replace your legal and administrative team. Nineveh deserves better than this level of legal and administrative documentation," leaving exclamation marks on his post.

In response, the Future Nineveh Alliance issued a statement saying, "We have not seen such a media attack on previous council chairs, despite some being negligent and others facing arrest warrants due to multiple corruption cases."

The alliance's statement added, "When the council chairmanship is entrusted to a reputable native of Nineveh, known for integrity and wisdom, who leads the council in the right direction, activating its oversight and legislative role, and correcting the local government's course, they face misleading media attacks from parties opposed to Nineveh's reconstruction and the removal of corrupt officials."

The alliance threatened to "take legal action against pages attempting to undermine the presidency of the Nineveh Provincial Council."