Pressure Mounts On Iraqi PM To Step Down

Pressure is mounting on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step down, after the largest scale protests so far saw tens of thousands of Iraqis gather on Friday to call for his removal, Al Jazeera reported on Friday.

The protests took place across the country with the main focus on the western highway, close to Fallujah.

Reports indicated that these were the largest protests yet, in a week of demonstrations against al-Maliki’s Shia-led government.

The demonstrations began after government officials arrested and detained 10 bodyguards of the finance minister, one of the government’s most senior Sunni officials.

But the protestors concerns have widened to include the general mistreatment of Sunnis in the country.