Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the formation of a political coalition called the “Victory Alliance” in which he will run for re-election. The coalition includes Shi’ite cleric Ammar al-Hakim and a number of Shi’ite militia groups. Abadi is a member of the Dawa Party, but former Prime Minister (and current Vice President) Nouri al-Maliki is the head of that party, and he is also running for the prime minister’s seat.
Naeem al-Kaoud, the chairman of the Anbar province’s security committee, said that 80 percent of Anbar province has been cleared of Islamic State militants.
At least six people were killed, and three more were wounded in recent violence:
Gunmen killed a soldier near Baquba.
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (P.K.K.) guerrillas fired a rocket from Kurdistan into Turkey, where it killed one Turkish soldier and wounded three more.
Four militants were killed near Abbasi.
