US Envoy Praises Al-Zaidi’s Move to Remove Militia Influence From Mosul Airport
Tom Barrack backs Iraqi prime minister’s cancellation of three airport service contracts over alleged links to armed groups, as Baghdad moves to strengthen state authority over public institutions
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — US Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack has praised Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's decision to cancel three contracts at Mosul International Airport over alleged links to armed groups, describing the move as a demonstration of Iraqi sovereignty and an effort to limit militia influence within state institutions.
In a statement posted on his X account on Saturday, Barrack said Al-Zaidi was sending "a clear message" that militia influence had no place in Iraq's institutions.
"Iraq’s future belongs to its people, not armed factions operating outside the state. Sovereignty in action," the US envoy wrote.
The decision was announced late Saturday by Nineveh Governor Abdul Qadir Al-Dakhil following a meeting with Al-Zaidi in Baghdad, which was also attended by Raid Hamid Al-Musleh, Chief Judge of the Nineveh Court of Appeal.
According to the governor, the prime minister ordered the cancellation of contracts covering the leasing of airport passenger counters, the internal car park, and the taxi office, citing alleged connections between the companies involved and armed groups.
He also directed that the services be assigned to international companies.
Al-Dakhil said the Ministry of Transport had previously awarded the contracts without the knowledge or approval of the Nineveh local government, despite objections from provincial authorities.
The governor's statement did not identify the armed groups allegedly connected to the companies.
The move comes amid growing tensions between Al-Zaidi's government and Iran-aligned armed factions over efforts to bring weapons and economic activities operating outside state control under government authority.
Kataib Hezbollah, one of Iraq's most influential Iran-aligned armed factions, has publicly challenged the government's approach, accusing it of targeting resistance factions under US pressure.
Mosul International Airport has become a focal point in the broader effort to strengthen government oversight of public facilities and their commercial operations.
The airport, which was heavily damaged during the war against the Islamic State (ISIS), underwent reconstruction and resumed domestic flights in November 2025.
The cancellation of the three contracts also addresses longstanding complaints by Nineveh provincial authorities that ministries in Baghdad have bypassed local government institutions in awarding public contracts.
Al-Zaidi's decision to seek international companies for the airport services signals an effort to bring its commercial operations under more direct institutional oversight.
However, the timeline for awarding the new contracts and the potential legal response from the companies involved remain unclear.
Barrack's public endorsement adds a diplomatic dimension to the dispute, highlighting Washington's support for Baghdad's efforts to strengthen state sovereignty and limit the influence of armed factions operating outside government authority.