LATEST: Unnamed Officials — Ayatollah Sistani & Others Object to New Term for PM Maliki

In its attempt to regain Fallujah in western Iraq from insurgents, the Iraqi military is killing civilians in airstrikes.

A health official said on Tuesday that the bombing killed 19 people and wounded 38 since Monday evening in and near the city, 70 km (43 miles) west of Baghdad.

Residents of Fallujah and the nearby town of Garma said helicopters fired artillery and dropped five barrel bombs.

An Iraqi commander said the military was attacking Islamic State positions in Garma, east of Fallujah; al-Nuaimiya, south of the city; and Saqliwiyah to the north.


Unnamed Officials: Ayatollah Sistani & Others Object to New Term for PM Maliki

Unnamed Iraqi officials claim that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has lost the backing of the country’s leading Shia cleric, Ayatollah Sistani, and others for a third term in office.

The Wall Street Journal, citing the sources, asserts, “In recent days, high-level delegations of Iranian military officials and diplomats held a flurry of meetings in Baghdad and the Shiite religious capital Najaf, where they were told that Mr. Maliki, a Shiite, has lost the confidence of all but his most loyal inner circle.”

One Iraqi official claimed Iranian representatives signaled during their visit that they have “really started to lean away from Maliki as a candidate”.

Three Iraqi politicians say Sistani, based in Najaf, sent a direct letter to Maliki’s office last week that made clear the cleric’s opposition to a third term.

Two official from the National Alliance, the largest bloc in Parliament, claimed that some of Maliki’s partners in his State of Law coalition have threatened to withdraw if he does not give up his bid.

MP Khaled al-Assadi, a member of Maliki’s Dawa party who is close to the Prime Minister, insisted that the State of Law bloc “does not have a candidate other than Nouri al-Maliki and we hope to finalize this decision soon”.

At Least 21 Killed by Baghdad Suicide Bomb

A suicide bomb killed at least 21 people, including five policemen, in Baghdad on Tuesday.

The bomberl struck a police checkpoint at the entrance to the Kadhimiya district. Many of those killed were reportedly on their way to the Musa al-Khadim Shrine, a site of pilgrimage for many Shia Muslims.

Gunmen Kill Imam of Basra Mosque and 5 Worshippers

Gunmen killed the imam and five worshippers of a mosque in Basra in southern Iraq on Tuesday.

The attackers, dressed in military uniform, stormed the al-Mohajeran Mosque on Tuesday morning and killed the imam.

The worshippers were kidnapped, and their bodies were found later in the day.

On Monday, armed men entered another mosque in the city, killing one worshipper and wounding another.