BEIRUT — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said on Tuesday he was canceling the positions of advisers hired as contractors in ministries and limiting the number of advisers for himself, the president, and the parliamentary speaker to five each. It was not immediately clear how many positions would be affected by the decision, which was announced in a post on Facebook. The sackings are the latest in a sweeping reform campaign launched last week aimed at reducing graft and incompetence in government, which critics say have deprived Iraqis of basic services while undermining government forces in their battle against Daesh (so-called IS). Abadi's ambitious reform plan follows weeks of street protests in Baghdad and southern cities demanding better government services and a call by leading Shiite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani to "strike with an iron fist" against corruption. It is the biggest move yet by Abadi to strengthen his hand, even as large swaths of Iraq have fallen to ultra-hardline Sunni Muslim militants from Daesh, and as the central government faces a financial crisis from the collapsing price of its oil exports. Abadi sacked a third of his Cabinet on Sunday, reducing the number of ministers to 22 by eliminating positions or combining some ministries with others. He moved earlier to eliminate the three vice president positions, cut politicians' security details and other perks, encourage corruption investigations and give himself the power to fire provincial governors and regional officials. Abadi postponed a planned visit to China due to security developments and the need to follow up on a wide-ranging reform drive, his office said. Abadi "decided to postpone his visit to China, which was scheduled for Aug. 19, until further notice," his office said in a statement released late on Monday. The decision was made "as a result of developments in the security situation" and due to "operations to liberate Anbar and operations in other sectors including Baiji, in addition to the reform package launched" by Abadi, it said. Iraqi security forces are battling to regain ground from the Daesh group in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, and the Baiji area, to its north. — Agencies
