Iraq Maliki quits as PM to end deadlock says BBC News
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has stepped aside, ending political deadlock in Baghdad as the government struggles against insurgents. He resigned on state TV to make way for Haider al-Abadi, who was asked by Iraq's president to form a government.
Mr Maliki had been under intense pressure to make way for Mr Abadi, a deputy speaker of parliament. An offensive led by Islamic State (IS) rebels in the north has triggered a security and humanitarian crisis. IS, a Sunni Muslim jihadist group formerly known as Isis, seized a large band of territory across northern Iraq and Syria this summer. The resulting turmoil has driven an estimated 1.2 million Iraqis from their homes.
Nouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki is the Prime Minister of Iraq and secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. His first Cabinet was approved by the National Assembly and sworn in on 20 May 2006; his second Cabinet, in which he also holds the positions of acting Interior Minister, acting Defense Minister, and acting National Security Minister, was approved on 21 December 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OVP2Kki46k