Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi dismisses officials following terror attack in Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi dismissed the head of security and a number of security officials on Friday following a terror attack that killed over 300 people in Baghdad on Sunday 3 July.

The attack prompted the resignation of the interior minister Muhammad Ghabban, who said there was a lack of communication between multiple forces in charge of the capital's security. The Islamic State (Isis) claimed responsibility, while al-Abadi said Daesh members would be prosecuted.

Sunday's attack was the deadliest the country has seen in the 13 years since the conflict in Iraq began, and was followed by further violence when a Shia shrine 100km north of Baghdad was targeted, killing over 30 people.

The dismissal of top security officials hints at the fragility of al-Abadi's tenure in Iraq and his inability to stem a growth in sectarian violence. Iraq has been the global capital of terrorism for several years running, according to the Global Terrorism Index.

Al-Abadi became Prime Minister in 2014, after the embattled Nouri al-Maliki was forced to step down. His tenure has been marked by political crises and the rise of Isis. The latest attacks took place simultaneously with the long-awaited release of the Chilcot Enquiry, which exposed the damage done in Iraq over the past 13 years.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair described the aftermath of the invasion of 2003 as "more hostile, protracted and bloody" than had been imagined. But the findings of the report offered little consolation to those still living in a country fragmented by sectarianism and shaken by random acts of violence.

US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said in May that Washington strongly supports al-Abadi amidst what many were calling a political crisis threatening his government. Al-Abadi had earlier warned that the political crisis could hamper Iraq's war against Isis.

March saw widespread anti-government protests, and following last Sunday's attack, crowds threw stones at al-Abadi's convoy. While Iraqi forces defeated Daesh in Fallujah in June, it is unclear if they managed to recapture the city of Falljuah in June, it is uncertain whether they will capture other Isis strongholds like Mosul.

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Friday criticised the government's failure to deal effectively with the Islamic State threat.