Iraq parliament elects Kurd president

People inspect the destroyed Mosque of The Prophet Younis, or Jonah, in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, July 24, 2014. The revered Muslim shrine was destroyed on Thursday by militants who overran the city in June and imposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic law. The mosque was built on an archaeological site dating back to 8th century BC, and is said to be the burial place of the prophet, who in stories from both the Bible and Quran is swallowed by a whale. (AP Photo)
People inspect the destroyed Mosque of The Prophet Younis, or Jonah, in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, July 24, 2014. The revered Muslim shrine was destroyed on Thursday by militants who overran the city in June and imposed their harsh interpretation of Islamic law. The mosque was built on an archaeological site dating back to 8th century BC, and is said to be the burial place of the prophet, who in stories from both the Bible and Quran is swallowed by a whale. (AP Photo)

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi lawmakers elected a veteran Kurdish politician Thursday to replace long-serving Jalal Talabani as the country's new president in the latest step toward forming a new government.

The 76-year-old Fouad Massoum, one of the founders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, which is led by Talabani, accepted the position after winning two-thirds of the votes in parliament, noting the "huge security, political and economic tasks" facing the next government.

Iraq is facing its worst crisis since the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops, with the blitz offensive begun last month by al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State group, which captured large areas of land in the country's west and north, including Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul. The militants also have seized a huge chunk of territory straddling the Iraq-Syria border and declared a self-ruled state in the territory they control, imposing their harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

As Massoum was named president, a series of attacks in or near Baghdad killed dozens of people. Elsewhere, the Islamic militants blew up a revered Muslim shrine in Mosul traditionally said to be the burial place of the Prophet Jonah, several residents said.

The militants first ordered everyone out of the Mosque of the Prophet Younis, or Jonah, then blew it up, the residents said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear for their own safety. Several nearby houses also were damaged by the blast, they said.

The mosque was built on an archaeological site dating back to the eighth century B.C. and is said to be the burial place of the prophet, who in stories from both the Bible and Koran is swallowed by a whale. It was renovated in the 1990s under Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein and has been a popular destination for religious pilgrims from around the world.

In Baghdad, a double car bombing ripped through the busy commercial district of Karradah, killing 21 people and wounding 33 as people gathered at dusk to break their daily fast for the holy month of Ramadan, police and hospital officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Earlier in the day, militants fired mortar shells on an army base holding suspects facing terrorism charges in Taji, about 12 miles north of Baghdad. As the prisoners were being evacuated by bus to prevent a jailbreak, the militants attacked with roadside bombs, igniting a gunbattle that left 52 prisoners and eight soldiers dead, the officials said.

Another eight soldiers and seven prisoners were wounded.

It was not immediately clear whether the prisoners were killed by soldiers or militants, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. In the past, militants have staged several jailbreaks in Iraq, including a military-style assault on two Baghdad-area prisons in July 2013 that freed more than 500 inmates.

While the post of Iraq's president is largely symbolic, Thursday's election marked a step toward achieving consensus among political rivals.

A native in what is now the regional Iraqi Kurdish capital of Irbil, Massoum entered politics when he was 16 years old, taking part in Kurdish-organized demonstrations and joining the Kurdistan Democratic Party in 1964.

From 1973 to 1975, he was the Cairo representative of Kurdish rebels battling the Arab-dominated government in Baghdad, then went on to establish the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan with six other Kurdish politicians, including Talabani.

Under an unofficial agreement dating back to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iraq's presidency is held by a Kurd while the prime minister is Shiite and the parliament speaker is Sunni.

The next step in Iraq's political transition will be for Massoum to select a candidate for prime minister who will try to form a new government.

Incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's bloc won the most seats in April elections but has faced mounting pressure to step aside, with critics accusing him of monopolizing power and alienating the country's Sunni and Kurdish minority groups, contributing to the latest unrest.

Al-Maliki has, however, vowed to remain in the post he has held since 2006.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on a visit to Iraq on Thursday urged lawmakers to "find a common ground" so they can address the crisis sparked by the Islamic State.

At a news conference with al-Maliki, Ban said Iraq is facing an "existential threat," but one that could be overcome if it forms a "thoroughly inclusive government."

Al-Maliki said he is committed to quickly forming a government. "Despite the fact that we have problems ... we are moving at a confident pace to implement the mechanisms of the democratic work," he said.

Information for this article was contributed by Murtada Faraj, Sinan Salaheedin, Vivian Salama, Jan Olsen and Edith M. Lederer of The Associated Press.

A Section on 07/25/2014

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