Over 30 Turkish truck drivers freed in Iraq
Iraqi forces on Thursday struggled to break a military stalemate with Sunni militants, as US officials reached out to key leaders to push for an end to political chaos in the strife-torn country, even as Islamic militants have released at least 30 Turkish truck drivers who they captured in Iraq last month, relatives and a private Turkish news agency said on Thursday. Militants from the al-Qaida-inspired group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the levant seized the truck drivers on June 9 in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has offered an amnesty aimed at undercutting support for the militants who have overrun large areas of Iraq, after the new Parliament’s first session ended in farce, with MPs walking out instead of working on Government formation.
With calls for politicians to come together unsuccessful, Washington contacted Iraqi and regional players individually, with President Barack Obama calling Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah and Vice President Joe Biden talking to former Iraqi Parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, a prominent Sunni leader.
The White House said Biden and Nujaifi agreed on the importance of Iraqis “moving expeditiously to form a new Government capable of uniting the country”.
Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, phoned Kurdish leader Massud Barzani and stressed the important role the Kurds could play in a new unity Government in Baghdad, seen as vital to meeting the challenge of Islamic State jihadists, who have led the militant offensive, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
Maliki’s amnesty call appeared to be a bid to split the broad alliance of jihadists, loyalists of executed Dictator Saddam Hussein and anti-Government tribes waging the offensive.
Maliki’s announcement came a day after an eagerly awaited opening to the Council of Representatives descended into chaos and ended in disarray without a speaker being elected.
Under a de facto agreement, Iraq’s premier is a Shiite Arab, the speaker Sunni Arab and the President a Kurd. Presiding MP Mahdi Hafez said the legislature would reconvene on July 8 if leaders were able to agree on senior posts.