Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi has received a no-confidence vote from parliament over corruption allegations.
Lawmakers said Obeidi lost a no-confidence vote on August 25 by 142 votes to 102, while 18 abstained.
"Those who brought Iraq to where it is now have triumphed," Obeidi said on Facebook after the vote. "I tried with everything to fight corruption, but it appears that its masters are stronger, their voices louder, and their actions more enduring."
Obeidi has accused parliament speaker Salim al-Jaburi and other government officials and businessmen of trying to persuade him to secure specific contracts or reinstate employees fired due to corruption.
The vote removes one of Shi’ite Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi's key Sunni allies from government and comes as Iraq's military is preparing an offensive to retake the country's second-largest city of Mosul from the Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
On August 25, Abadi announced that Iraqi forces had captured from IS the town of Qayyarah, 60 kilometers south of Mosul, paving the way for the liberation of the IS stronghold.
