ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi cancelled contracts with three companies operating at Mosul Airport for their ties to armed groups, state media reported Saturday.

An unnamed source told state media that Zaidi had directed the cancellation of contracts with the Sky Plus Company, Sama Airport Company, and Al-Faisal Al-Shamikh Company for their “ties to armed groups.”

The Sky Plus Company was in charge of check-in desks, Sama Airport Company the open-air parking garage, and the Al-Faisal Al-Shamikh Company operated the official taxi dispatch office.

All three companies' contracts are being awarded to international companies, according to the source, with Zaidi having repeatedly stressed Iraq's keeness to attract foreign investment since assuming office.

In a meeting with Nineveh Governor Abdul Qader al-Dakhil on Saturday, Zaidi “directed that the operation of Mosul International Airport be expedited by contracting with reputable, specialized international companies to jointly operate and manage the airport,” read a statement from the premier’s office.

Sovereignty has been a key focus of Zaidi's premiership thus far, coming after Iraq was repeatedly caught in the crossfire of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The Iraqi government initially set an end-of-September deadline to disarm Iran-aligned factions in the country, but now aims to complete the campaign by July 2027 with a phased approach to disarmament having been adopted.

Many armed factions hold extensive business enterprises that facilitate their funding. Zaidi has taken a strong line against government corruption since assuming office and sought to crack down on the pilfering of official funds that end up in the hands of non-state militias.

On Thursday, the premier directed the Defense Industries Commission to pursure procurement efforts directly with arms manufacturors instead of intermediaries in a bid to increase fiscal transparency.

The Islamic State (ISIS) captured Mosul in 2014, declaring its so-called “caliphate” from Iraq’s second largest city.

Three years later, Iraqi forces, aided by a US-led international coalition and the Kurdish Peshmerga, liberated the city after nearly ten months of intense fighting.

During the jihadists’ rule, Mosul International Airport was heavily damaged and almost completely destroyed.

In August 2022, then-Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi laid the foundation stone for rebuilding the airport with an estimated cost of $140 million. It was opened in July last year.