Maliki To Iraqi Army: Keep Out Of Politics

FILE - In this June 10, 2010 file photo, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, center, former prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, left, and Iraq's Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi are seen at a ceremony marking the 20... FILE - In this June 10, 2010 file photo, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, center, former prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, left, and Iraq's Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi are seen at a ceremony marking the 2003 death of Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim in Baghdad, Iraq. Al-Maliki is under increasing political pressure to step aside as Sunni militants led by fighters from the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant overrun much of northwestern Iraq. Al-Maliki, a Shiite who is looking to secure a third consecutive term after winning April elections, has proven himself to be a skilled politician and hard-nosed negotiator. But there are growing calls from all quarters _ including fellow Shiite and senior clerics _ for him to step aside. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File) MORE LESS
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BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister has ordered the security forces not intervene in the current political crisis over who will be the next prime minister.

In a statement issued on his official website, Nouri al-Maliki urged army, police and security forces to stay out of the political crisis and focus on defending the country.

A day earlier, Haider al-Abadi, the deputy speaker of parliament from al-Maliki’s Shiite Dawa party, was selected by President Fouad Massoum to be the new prime minister and was given 30 days to present a new government.

Al-Maliki rejected the move and described it as a constitutional violation. Just before the announcement he ordered elite armyunits into the streets of Baghdad.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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