“Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ruled out negotiations with militants.” Why? Obama does it, why can’t he? Al Qaeda On the Ropes Update: “Scores killed in bombings as Islamists advance in Anbar province,” from France 24, January 15:
A wave of bomb attacks in Iraq, including a series of coordinated car bombings in Baghdad, killed at least 46 people on Wednesday as Islamist militants took more territory from Iraqi security forces in Anbar province.
Authorities are grappling with Iraq’s worst period of unrest since the country emerged from a sectarian war that killed tens of thousands, just months before landmark parliamentary elections.
Diplomats, including UN chief Ban Ki-moon, have urged Iraq’s leaders to seek political reconciliation to resolve nationwide violence and the stand-off in Anbar, but Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ruled out negotiations with militants.