Iraqi prime minister vows he won’t step aside

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraq’s prime minister and his radical Shiite backers vowed Thursday to fight a bid by Sunni Arabs and Kurds to oust him, threatening to plunge the country into political turmoil, delay formation of a new government and undercut U.S. plans to begin withdrawing troops this year.

Meanwhile, gunmen attacked the disabled car of Iraq’s top Sunni politician, Adnan al-Dulaimi, killing one bodyguard and wounding five after al-Dulaimi sped away in another vehicle. It was not clear whether the assault was an assassination attempt, and the Sunni leader refused to blame anyone. Altogether, 39 people died Thursday in a new round of violence.

A coalition of Sunni, Kurdish and secular parties formally asked the Shiite bloc Thursday to withdraw its nomination of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari for another term. The prime minister’s adviser, Haider al-Ibadi, insisted the bloc would stick by its candidate.

Many Sunnis blame al-Jaafari for failing to rein in commandos of the Shiite-led Interior Ministry. And Kurds accuse al-Jaafari of dragging his heels on resolving their claims around the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

Al-Jaafari won the nomination by a single vote during an election Feb. 12 among Shiite lawmakers who won seats in the Dec. 15 parliamentary election. He defeated Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi in large part because of the support of radical, anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The idea of a prime minister who owes his position to the young radical has alarmed not only Sunni Arabs and Kurds, but also several key figures in the Shiite alliance. Abdul-Mahdi was the candidate of Shiite Alliance leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, who often is at odds with al-Sadr.

But the alliance does not know how to resolve the problem without risking a huge fight with al-Sadr, who is revered among impoverished Shiite militias and who has an armed militia allegedly behind many attacks against Sunni mosques last week.

Al-Ibadi lashed out at the prime minister’s opponents, accusing them of trying to delay formation of a new government.

“There are some elements who have personal differences with al-Jaafari,” al-Ibadi said. “The Alliance is still sticking to its candidate.”

As expected, the move against al-Jaafari also drew sharp opposition from al-Sadr.

“We will not abandon al-Jaafari,” said a close aide to the firebrand Shiite cleric. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the dispute.

Reda Jawad Taqi, an al-Hakim aide, said representatives of the largest parliamentary bloc would meet al-Jaafari opponents to “learn what is behind their position. We will not reject their demand (to meet). Everything is negotiable.”

The Shiites won 130 of Parliament’s 275 seats in December elections, giving them the largest bloc of lawmakers and the first chance to form a government – but not enough to govern without partners.

After the attack on his vehicle, al-Dulaimi, leader of the largest Sunni parliamentary bloc, called for restraint to blunt the spiraling sectarian violence that has taken about 500 lives since Feb. 22, when a Shiite shrine was bombed in Samarra.

“I don’t accuse anyone. … I consider it accidental, and I call on my brothers for self-restraint and to contain what happened because Iraq is bigger than Adnan and his guards,” al-Dulaimi told the AP.

Not long after gunmen hit Adnan al-Dulaimi’s convoy Thursday, other attackers shot up cars carrying security men assigned to his fellow Sunni tribesman, Defense Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi. One bodyguard was killed and five were wounded. The attacks on both Sunni heavyweights – who are not related – occurred in Ghazaliyah, a dangerous west Baghdad neighborhood.

In an attempt to avert attacks during the Muslim day of prayer, the government announced a one-day ban on private vehicles in Baghdad and its outskirts, effective when the overnight curfew ends this morning. The police and army were instructed to seal off the capital and seize any private vehicles on the roads between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The military reported a U.S. soldier was killed during combat in insurgency-ridden Anbar province Wednesday, raising to 2,296 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the war began, according to an Associated Press count.