Shi’ite cleric urges deal on next Iraqi PM
The appeal by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani comes as al-Maliki is fighting to keep his job, with even key patron Iran exploring alternatives in the face of Iraq’s worst crisis since US troops withdrew at the end of 2011.
The conflict has drawn the Americans back to Iraq with special forces being deployed to help Iraqi troops. The US also has started flying armed drones over Baghdad to protect US interests in the Iraqi capital, a Pentagon official said.
