Qaeda Offshoot Declares Islamic Caliphate in Syria, Iraq
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Iraqi political leaders are set to miss a deadline to agree on a prime minister who can narrow sectarian divisions said to have fueled a militant takeover of major cities, as the insurgents sought to bolster their control.
Lawmakers are scheduled to gather tomorrow as pressure builds on Nouri al-Maliki to stand aside amid claims by domestic opponents and world leaders that his Shiite-led government has marginalized minority Sunnis, some of whom have swung behind the militants. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, last week urged the appointment on July 1 of a prime minister able to “avoid sectarianism” and prevent the country’s breakup.