Baghdad: The governing Shiite coalition called on Iraqis on Sunday to accept results showing the religious bloc leading in parliamentary elections and moved ahead with efforts to form a ‘national unity’ government.
But as they reached out to Sunni Arabs and others, senior officials in the United Iraqi Alliance headed by cleric Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim deepened the post election turmoil by claiming that extremists and Saddam loyalists were the ones questioning the results.
One Sunni Arab leader said he was upset by the Shiite comments.
Violence in Iraq left at least nine people dead. Eight people were killed by gunmen around Baghdad and a US soldier died from wounds sustained in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in northern Iraq.
Meanwhile, militants released a video showing Jordanian hostage Mahmoud Suleiman Saidat, giving that country three days to cut ties with the Baghdad government and free Sajida al-Rishawi, a suicide bomber.
Saidat, a Jordanian Embassy driver, was kidnapped last Tuesday. Aired on the Al-Arabiya satellite channel, the video had a sign identifying the kidnappers as the Hawk Brigades, a previously unknown group.
On Sunday Christian community in Baghdad celebrated Christmas, with a few dozen Catholics holding mass in early afternoon to avoid traveling after dark.
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