September 3, 2010
Shiite bloc names new candidate for Iraqi PM
BAGHDAD – A powerful Shiite bloc backed by Iran has put forward its own candidate for prime minister, further complicating Iraq's fractured political system.
The Iraqi National Alliance has named Adel Abdul-Mahdi, Iraq's Shiite vice president, as their candidate for the job.
The INA is currently in a shaky coalition with the State of Law coalition headed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But the INA fiercely disapproves of al-Maliki retaining his job and prefers someone else take the post.
By putting forward their own candidate, INA is not seeking to break up the alliance with the State of Law but rather to extend the negotiation process and pressure the party to dump al-Maliki as its candidate.
Iraq has had no government since the March 7 election since bloc won an outright majority.
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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
BAGHDAD (AP) — A powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq has warned the country's security forces against working with the remaining American troops in the country.
In a statement read at Friday prayers in mosques across Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr extended support to Iraq's police and soldiers, as long as they don't fight alongside American forces.
Al-Sadr, who is based in Iran, did not elaborate. But one of the anti-U.S. cleric's core goals is ending the U.S. presence in Iraq.
About 50,000 U.S. soldiers remain in Iraq, primarily training Iraqi security forces and helping track down and fight extremists, although U.S. officials say the American combat mission has formally ended.
Al-Sadr's Mahdi militia battled U.S. forces in two major uprisings.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100903/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
