Iraqi political tensions worsen amidst further violence

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—More than half of all Iraqi MPs boycotted an emergency parliamentary session held yesterday to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the country, further escalating the entrenched political crisis in Baghdad. Just 140 out of a total of 325 Iraqi parliamentarians attended the special parliamentary session called for by Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi at the behest of the Ahrar parliamentary bloc, affiliated to the Sadrist Movement. The State of Law coalition ...

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Iraqi Sunni cleric calls on Anbar protesters to stand firm

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Leading Iraqi Sunni cleric, Abdul Malik Al-Saadi, has accused some parties of putting pressure on the demonstrators to return to their homes before prospective negotiations with the government begins. In a public statement, Saadi said: “Some governors and directors of religious endowments, especially in Al-Anbar—using my initiative to form a committee for dialogue with the government as an excuse—are putting pressure on the preachers and protesters to end...

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