BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's parliament voted Thursday to appoint ministers to previously vacant Cabinet posts and complete the country's government - including a deputy prime minister who is under U.S. sanctions.
Laith al-Khazali, appointed to that post, is the brother of Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia. Laith al-Khazali was arrested by U.S. forces in 2007 over allegations related to an attack targeting American forces in Karbala in January of that year, which resulted in the deaths of five U.S. soldiers.
He was released from U.S. custody in June 2009. In 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him, citing his leadership role in Asaib Ahl al-Haq and allegations involving human rights abuses as well as the 2007 attack.
His appointment to a senior government position raises questions about its potential implications for relations between Baghdad and Washington. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi was backed by U.S. President Donald Trump when he took the post and has strong relations with Washington, but he has also sought to maintain relations with Iran.
Past Iraqi governments have also sought to balance relations with Washington and Tehran, but the balancing act has become more difficult since the U.S. and Iran went to war on Feb. 28.
There was no immediate official statement from the U.S. on the appointment.
Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson wrote on X that al Khazali “is a designated terrorist and Iranian puppet whose militia AAH killed Americans and Iraqis.”
“He is no better than ISIS, maybe even worse,” Wilson said. "It is outrageous but sadly not shocking that he has been appointed deputy PM of Iraq.”
The parliament also appointed two other deputy prime ministers, as well as a new interior minister, defense minister, planning minister, minister of higher education and scientific research, and culture minister.
The other Cabinet posts had been appointed five months earlier.
Al-Zaidi said in a statement that with the vacant posts filled, “we are embarking on a phase of accelerated, diligent work” and pledged to "move forward in implementing our government’s priorities and program, and in fulfilling the aspirations of all Iraqis.”
He said the government had worked over the past several months amid complicated domestic and international circumstances, noting that the war in the region had imposed exceptional economic challenges on Iraq, in addition to security challenges.
Al-Zaidi has vowed to fight corruption and strengthen Iraq's sovereignty, both by completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country and by disarming non-state armed groups.
Some of the most powerful militias have said they have no intention of giving up their weapons, although Asaib Ahl al-Haq is one of a handful that have agreed to hand over their arms.
FILE - Members of the Iraqi parliament arrive for a vote in Baghdad, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Student-led demonstrators clashed Thursday with Albanian police in the capital Tirana for a third day running, joining a broader anti-government movement launched in opposition to a major development project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Youths protesting Albania's long-serving Socialist government hurled rocks at a police cordon outside the Education Ministry, and riot police responded with tear gas and water cannons. Police detained several demonstrators.
Protesters in masks aimed fireworks at government offices and set fire to trash bins, sending thick clouds of smoke into the air. Television reporters gasped for breath during live broadcasts as smoke and tear gas filled the air.
The latest clashes followed hours-long riots on Wednesday when protesters attacked government buildings, banks and businesses, leaving dozens of people injured.
The protests were led by student groups seeking education reforms. They have joined the so-called flamingo movement, which is calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama over allegations of widespread corruption and in opposition to the large luxury tourism development on Albania’s southern coast, associated with an investment firm founded by Kushner.
The movement earned the name after protesters used signs depicting the pink birds, which live in their thousands in a nature reserve on the island where the development is planned.
On Thursday, high school students joined thousands of protesters on marches through the center of the capital, chanting “Rama Resign!” as they brought the city to a standstill.
“We will be in the square every day,” Mateo Yskollari, a prominent protest organizer, wrote in an online post. “Our response to any attempt to silence us will be to expand the protest, civil mobilization, and disobedience.”
Though initially peaceful, the rallies turned violent when confronting police cordons. Groups of youths also broke away from the rallies to attack government buildings and commercial storefronts.
Police prioritized protection of government buildings. They joined government officials in appeals to parents to keep their teenage children at home.
National police chief Skender Hita said 71 officers had been injured. He urged police to act with “professionalism and restraint,” adding: “The national police guarantee the right to peaceful protest and assembly but that cannot be used as cover for violence, arson and vandalism.”
As smaller clashes broke out in at least three other Albanian cities, the country's education minister, Mirela Kumbaro, issued her appeal in a video message.
“As minister of education, but also as a mother, I want to share with you a call for cooperation," she said. "While the ‘dark hands’ create dark smoke with destructive actions against public properties and private businesses, we must not let our children near that smoke.”
Rama Thursday greeted cleanup crews and issued a video message from a burned-out college building. He directly accused political opponents of inciting the violence, promising to stay on as prime minister to further Albania's bid to join the European Union.
“We will all get through these difficult hours together because Albania will continue to climb, because Albania will continue on its path to Europe,” he said. “No one can grab Albania by the throat. Anyone who thinks the law does not apply to them is mistaken.”
Rama's Socialists won a fourth consecutive election victory last year and Albania is not due to hold another parliamentary election until 2029.
The conservative opposition Democratic Party backed the student protests and called on Rama to appoint a caretaker government to prepare for early elections. It retained a group of lawyers to provide legal assistance for detained protesters.
“This movement is not simply a protest against the government,” the party said. “It's a revolt against a model of government created by Edi Rama that has stolen hope from young people, violated citizens’ trust and is increasingly distancing Albania from its European future.”
A European Union delegation in Albania called late Wednesday for a proportionate response from authorities, expressing concern at “the violent escalation at the protest in Tirana.”
Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece
A protester reacts to the effects of tear gas during clashes in Tirana, Albania, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, as students joined the Flamingo anti-government movement. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Police spray a protester with a water cannon during clashes as students join an anti-government demonstration in Tirana, Albania, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Hooded protesters vandalize a bank during clashes in Tirana, Albania, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, as students joined the Flamingo anti-government movement. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - A hooded protester raises his middle fingers as fire engulfs the Justice Ministry during a violent escalation of anti-government unrest in Tirana, Albania, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
