Sami al-Askari (Arabic: سامي العسكري) is an Iraqi politician and member of the Iraqi National Assembly, elected from the State of Law political coalition[1] During the regime of Saddam Hussein he was active in exile opposition politics, joining the 1992 Executive Council of the Iraqi National Congress as a representative of the Islamic Dawa Party. In 2003, al-Askari joined the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council (IRDC) led by Emad Dhia and worked for Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Central Baghdad office as Media Spokesman. He was a member of the committee that drafted the Constitution of Iraq. In 2009, al-Askari was involved in the handover of British hostage Peter Moore to the Iraqi government authorities.[2] Moore was later returned to the UK.
In December 2013, al-Askari announced he was splitting from the State of Law and forming his own coalition that "to reach out to disaffected voters whom [Prime Minister Nouri al-] Maliki, with his roots in Shiite religious politics could not, such as the secular, women and the young."[3]
References
- ↑ "State of Law coalition in the lead in Baghdad". AKnews. AKnews. 2010-03-30. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
- ↑ Meikle, James (2010-03-12). "Torture and table tennis: Iraq hostage Peter Moore recounts life in captivity". Guardian. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
- ↑ Allies distance themselves from Iraq PM as polls loom, AFP, 8 Dec 2013