Milestone

Iraq Swears in New Unity Government

In bid to combat Islamic State.

Iraq’s parliament has approved a new government that includes members from a broader political spectrum, in a move the United States is calling a “milestone” for the war-torn country. The government, headed by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, includes Sunni as well as Kurdish deputy prime ministers. Under former premier Nouri al-Maliki, many Sunnis were recruited by Islamic State, which has been seizing big chunks of Iraqi—and Syrian—territory in an effort to form an Islamic caliphate. Maliki’s divisive policies were partly blamed for tension between Iraq’s Sunni minority and the Shia-led government. Some of those Sunni defectors have said they would turn against Islamic State if their rights were protected in a new political order in Baghdad.