A power struggle between two rival Shia political parties has stymied efforts to form an Iraqi government six months after parliamentary elections. Both Amiri and his nominee are backed by Tehran, while Sadr is a nationalist who opposes foreign interference in Iraq. Sadr broke with Amiri when he insisted on Fayyadh with the aim of maintaining paramilitary grip on the interior portfolio. Along with other Shia opponents of Saddam Hussein, Amiri returned to Iraq after the US occupation. This week, Isis fighters kidnapped and killed Sheikh Raghib Abid al-Hadi al-Badrani, the mayor of al-Amirini village, 20km south of Mosul.

Source: The Irish Times December 07, 2018 18:29 UTC