Iraqi PM main backers agree to remove him
Iraq Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s two main backers have agreed to work to remove him from office as protests against his government gained momentum in Baghdad and much of the Shia south only to be met with violence. Populist Shia Muslim leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who leads parliament’s largest bloc, had asked Abdul Mahdi to call an early election. When the premier refused, he called on his main political rival Hadi al-Amiri to help remove him. Al-Amiri, who leads a parliamentary alliance of Iran-backed Shia militia that holds the second-largest number of seats in parliament, issued a statement late on Tuesday agreeing to help remove the prime minister. At least 250 have been killed since the unrest started on October 1.
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