Baghdad: Iraqi President Fuad Masoum Monday asked Deputy Speaker Haidar al-Abadi to form the next government but the politicians allied to outgoing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki rejected the premier-designate, raising concerns about a political struggle in the country facing insurgency from Sunni jihadists. The state-run Iraqiya channel showed Masoum signing a letter granting power to form the next government to Abadi, the Shia coalition’s nominee for prime minister, Xinhua reported. […]

Violence in Iraq rose sharply in April, with 460 people killed according to a AFP figures, raising fears of a return to the all-out sectarian conflict that plagued the country in past years. The majority of the deaths came during a wave of unrest that began on April 23 when security forces moved on Sunni anti-government protesters near the northern Sunni Arab town of Hawijah, sparking clashes that killed 53 […]