Former commander of Nineveh Operations, Lieutenant General Mahdi al-Gharrawi has been released from prison on Saturday 1 August 2020, says the Ministry of Interior in a statement, adding that the “fall of Mosul” case is not over and that the special Criminal Court will handle it.
The statement is meant “to clarify the facts” to counter what it describes as “baseless accusations and rumours” circulated on “social media and some news outlets.”
al-Gharrawi was commander of Nineveh Operations when ISIS took over the city vast areas of the Nineveh province and its centre, the city of Mosul.
In a statement, the Interior Ministry declares that it had taken legal measures against all the accused in relation to the “fall of Mosul,” including al-Gharrawi, and that their cases handed over to the Second Court of Internal Security Forces.
al-Gharrawi was sentenced to two years prison in the initial trial. Three other high-ranking officers were also sentenced.
The sentence has been appealed and al-Gharrawi was granted release on bail. The case now goes through the Iraqi court system.
