Iraq’s new prime minister-designate won swift endorsements on Tuesday from two uneasy mutual allies…the United States and Iran. Haider al-Abadi called on political leaders to end the crippling feuds that have let jihadists seize a third of the country.
He still faces opposition closer to home. His Shi’ite party colleague, current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, has refused to step aside after eight years as premier that have alienated Iraq’s once dominant Sunni minority and irked Washington and Tehran.
However, Shi’ite militia and army commanders long loyal to Maliki signaled their backing for the change, as did many people on the streets of Baghdad.
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