Iraqi female MP calls for calm

Independent parliamentarian Safia Taleb Ali al-Suhail has called for new efforts combating the number of armed militias on Iraq’s streets, after it was recently announced over 500 Iraqis had died in May alone. Sectarian violence would have “negative repercussions” on the Iraqi people, al-Suhail argued, adding that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government must work harder to achieve nationwide “stability and security.” Recent “terror attacks,” which killed 548 people in May and wounded another 1,372 according to Agence France Presse, had worsened due to spillover from the worsening Syria crisis across the border, al-Suhail said. “Attempts to involve Iraq in regional conflicts across the Middle East are a serious matter that could lead to dire consequences for this country.” Weapons flows must be controlled and civilians must be banned from carrying arms,” al-Suhail continued. “This phenomenon could lead to the appearance of armed militias on Iraq’s streets again.” Around 1,000 people have died in car bombs, armed attacks and kidnappings across Iraq over the past two months.