Iraqi MPs to form new govt. to keep country from splitting

PanARMENIAN.Net - Newly elected Iraqi lawmakers convene on Tuesday, July 1, under pressure to name a unity government to keep the country from splitting apart after an onslaught by Sunni Islamists who have declared a "caliphate" to rule over all the world's Muslims, according to Reuters.

The meeting of the new legislature in Baghdad's fortified "green zone" could spell the end of the eight-year rule of Shi'ite Islamist Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, with foes determined to unseat him and even some allies saying he may need to be replaced by a less polarizing figure.

Iraqi troops have been battling for three weeks against fighters led by the group formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Fighting has raged in recent days in former dictator Saddam Hussein's home city, Tikrit.

ISIL, which rules swathes of territory in an arc from Aleppo in Syria to near the western edge of Baghdad in Iraq, has renamed itself simply the Islamic State. It declared its leader, secretive guerrilla fighter Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to be the "caliph", the historic title of the ruler of the whole Muslim world.

Its insurgency in Iraq is backed by other Sunni armed groups who resent what they see as persecution under Maliki.

Maliki's foes blame him for the rapid advance of the Sunni insurgents who seized the biggest northern city, Mosul, on June 10 and have since taken nearly all the Sunni areas of the country.

In another move to beef up its military presence in Iraq, the United States said on Monday it was sending 300 more troops to Iraq.

U.S. Defense Department spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said about 200 forces arrived in the country on Sunday to reinforce security at the U.S. Embassy, its support facilities and Baghdad International Airport. A further 100 personnel were also due to move to Baghdad to "provide security and logistics support."

"These forces are separate and apart from the up to 300 personnel the president authorized to establish two joint operations centers and conduct an assessment of how the U.S. can provide additional support to Iraq's security forces," Kirby said in a statement.