Guide Note

Nouri al-Maliki is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the leader of the Islamic Dawa Party. In 1980, he was sentenced to death by Saddam Hussein for his work with the opposition. To avoid death, he went into exile, first in Iran, then Syria, where he directed guerrilla forces against Hussein's regime.¹ Following the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein, al-Maliki returned to Iraq and was given the task of purging members of the Baath Party from government.

Fast Facts

1. Born: June 20, 1950
2. College: Baghdad University
3. Was known as Jawal al-Maliki in exile
4. Leader of the Islamic Dawa Party
5. Prime Minister of Iraq: May 20, 2006 to present
6. Sentenced to death by Saddam Hussein in 1980
7. Lived in exile in Iran and Syria
8. Religious Affiliation: Shiite Muslim
9. Has vowed to fight the Mahdi Army led by Muqtada al-Sadr and other militias
10. Married
11. Has four children

Nouri al-Maliki was named Prime Minister of Iraq on April 22, 2006. While in office, he has worked to fight militias (specifically, the Mahdi Army led by Muqtada al-Sadr)and shepherded the new Iraqi constitution. On July 5, 2008, the Prime Minister announced that the Iraqi government has "defeated terrorism".² Two days later, Maliki called for a timetable for the withdrawal of United States ground troops.³No schedule for U.S. troop departure has been set.

During an interview with Spiegel Online on July 19, 2008, Nouri al-Maliki stated that he supported Presidential candidate Barack Obama's proposed 16 month plan to remove U.S. troops from Iraq. Maliki stated that the support for the plan was not an election endorsement.⁴

"Under the national unity government, the Iraqis have achieved national feats ... that are now lighting the course of our march." - Nouri al-Maliki²