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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New bombings strike Baghdad and Basra

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—A series of bomb attacks hit south and central Iraq on Monday, after four days of violence that rocked the country and left almost 150 dead. Baghdad and the predominantly Shi’ite port city of Basra in the south were the scene of the latest attacks, which killed 40 people according to official sources quoted by news agencies. Iraqi police say that nine bombs exploded in public spaces in Shi’ite districts in Baghdad, while two car bombs exploded in Basra, at the...

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