Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has agreed to relinquish his post and step down, ceding power to Haider al-Abadi, a Shi'ite politician who was earlier nominated for the position by the Iraqi President.
Speaking on state television with Abadi and other politicians, Maliki announced that his withdrawal would "ease the movement of the political process and the formation of the new government."
The move comes after he threatened to legally challenge Abadi's nomination, as he faced growing pressure domestically to step down. Both Iran and the United States had also earlier signalled their support towards Abadi leading the Iraqi government.
Meanwhile US President Barack Obama said the situation for thousands of ethnic Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar after fleeing insurgents from the Islamic State had “greatly improved” after US air strikes and humanitarian aid drops, adding “Americans should be very proud of their efforts.”
But Obama warned that “the situation remains dire” across the country, as violence continued, saying,
Speaking on state television with Abadi and other politicians, Maliki announced that his withdrawal would "ease the movement of the political process and the formation of the new government."
The move comes after he threatened to legally challenge Abadi's nomination, as he faced growing pressure domestically to step down. Both Iran and the United States had also earlier signalled their support towards Abadi leading the Iraqi government.
Meanwhile US President Barack Obama said the situation for thousands of ethnic Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar after fleeing insurgents from the Islamic State had “greatly improved” after US air strikes and humanitarian aid drops, adding “Americans should be very proud of their efforts.”
But Obama warned that “the situation remains dire” across the country, as violence continued, saying,
“We will continue air strikes to protect our people and facilities in Iraq. We have increased the delivery of military assistance to Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting ISIL on the front lines.”He went on to add,
“We’re going to be working with our international partners to provide humanitarian assistance to those who are suffering in northern Iraq wherever we have capabilities and we can carry out effective missions like the one we carried out on Mount Sinjar without committing combat troops on the ground.”See his full statement here