(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The political party loyal to top Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called Monday for the dissolution of Iraq's parliament and new elections in another move that could escalate the country's growing sectarian crisis.
Bahaa al-Aaraji, the head of the Sadrists' bloc in parliament, said the elections are needed because of instability in the country and problems that threaten Iraq's sovereignty.
"The political partners cannot find solutions for the problems that threaten to divide Iraq," he said.
The new political crisis has been accompanied by a new wave of attacks on the Iraqi capital by suspected insurgents linked to al-Qaeda. A suicide bomber set off a car bomb Monday at a checkpoint leading to the Interior Ministry, killing seven people and injuring 32, officials said. Police and hospital officials said the bomber struck during morning rush hour, hitting one of many security barriers set up around the ministry's building.
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