Iraqi Sunnis continue protests against Maliki

BAGHDAD - Agence France-Presse

Thousands of Sunnis took to the streets of Baghdad and other parts of Iraq on Jan. 11 to decry the alleged targeting of their community. The protests have worsened a political crisis, pitting Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki against his erstwhile government partners, with the premier facing accusations of authoritarianism and sectarianism ahead of key provincial polls.

Counter-demonstrations were held in predominantly Shiite areas of southern Iraq calling for authorities to resist demands to reform anti-terror laws or consider a wide-ranging prisoner release. Anti-government protests were held in Baghdad’s mostly-Sunni districts of Adhamiyah and Ghazaliyah, as well as in Ramadi, Samarra, Mosul and Tikrit.