Iraq Watch: April 10, 2006

Politicians Hold Meetings to Discuss Embattled Prime Minister

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi lawmakers on Monday held a series of meetings to discuss the future of the nations embattled current Shiite leader. Interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a former leader of the Iranian-backed Dawa Party, has come under intense pressure to relinquish his bid for a second term as the nations most powerful politician.

Sunnis joined their Kurdish counterparts Monday in formally calling for the powerful Shiite alliance to come up with a different nominee for the prime minister position. Talks on forming a unity government have largely come to a halt over the tenuous issue of prime minister.

In an effort to break the deadlock, political leaders from all sides have floated a number of potential replacements for al-Jaafari. Names mentioned include Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi and Hussain al-Shahristani, the current deputy parliament speaker.

Under Iraq's constitution the majority party reserves the right to nominate a candidate for prime minister. The Shiite United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) – which garnered 130 of the 275 parliament seats in the December 15 elections – voted in favor of al-Jaafari's second term and, for the most part, have stayed behind their candidate.

Some of al-Jaafari's strongest support has come from the camp of maverick Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

As politicians squabbled in Baghdad, insurgent violence continued elsewhere in the war-torn country.

The U.S. military announced the deaths of three U.S. service members Monday. Two soldiers from the 2/28 Brigade Combat Team were killed yesterday "due to enemy action" in the restive Anbar province. Also in Anbar province, a soldier assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 succumbed to injuries received Saturday.

At least four bodies, including that of an abducted power plant official, were discovered throughout the capital.

Elsewhere, clashes between militants and Iraqi security forces in the former rebel-bastion of Fallujah left at least three civilians dead and nine wounded. Separately, a Shiite family of three was executed after rebels stormed their house in Baghdad's volatile, predominately-Sunni Dora neighborhood.